The Gamemaster

“Beware of the man who is full of revenge.”

                                       

• HiroYuu101

MOTTO

“Segui EL Ordre per vivere”

• EL Ordre     

     

“Sapientem uno semper vincit.”

• Red Faction

Prologue

Tahimik akong nakamasid sa mga taong nakikita ko sa malaking screen ng kwarto kung nasaan ako ngayon. Maingay at halos hindi na maintindihan dahil sabay-sabay silang nagsasalita. Nagtatalo-talo sila sa isang bagay na hindi nila mapagkasunduan simula pa noon.

Kinuha ko ang ballpen na nakapatong sa office table at pinaglaruan iyon. Pinapadaan sa bawat daliri sa mabilis na paraan habang nakatitig pa rin sa screen at pinapakinggan ang bawat sinasabi nila.

A smile has slowly crept on my face that was covered behind a white mask. Hindi ko din napigilan ang mapatawa ng mahina habang nanonood pa rin sa nangyayari sa harapan ko.

I guess… it’s time to execute the plan now.

“Agents.”

Sa isang salitang iyon na nagmula sa akin ay napatigil silang lahat at napatingin sa akin. I know that they could only see me on the big screen in the room where they were, just like how I could see them in the screen in my office room.

“I want you all to calm down.” I said.

Dinig ko ang pagbabago ng boses ko as I was using a voice changer. I’m aware that they could hear a high-pitched robotic voice everytime I talk.

“Sir, hindi ko na kayang magtrabaho kasama sila!” said Saber. Galit pa nyang itinuro ang grupong kinagagalitan nya.

“Do you think we still want to work with you?” Panther said as he glared at Saber.

Nagsimula ulit sila sa pagbabatuhan ng kung anu-anong mga salita. I sighed and stopped playing with the pen and put it back down on the table.

“Calm down, agents.” sabi kong muling nagpatigil sa kanila. “We can do something about this issue of yours.”

“Paano? Basta ayokong makatrabaho sila.” Jaguar said. I smiled even though I know they wouldn’t be able to see it.

Ipinatong ko ang mga siko ko sa table at pinagsiklop ang mga kamay ko. I leaned on the table and straighten my back before I speak.

“Why don’t we settle this in the game of chess?”

---

“Nandito na si Aius, ang King ng EL Ordre. Nandito rin si Plutus, si Kylo Villaraza. Nandito rin si Archer, ang sexy nilang sniper. Magpapatayan dito in five, four, three, two—”

“Can you shut the fuck up?!”

Natawa ako nang marinig ko ang inis na boses ni Eresh sa earpiece ko. I saw the irritation in her eyes ’cause I am with her while were preparing to infiltrate the new hideout of the Red Faction. But Archer, being the crazy man he is, chose to sing that rap song with his own lyrics at the worst time.

I heard Archer laughed.

“Ikaw na buntis ka, mas dumoble pa ang sungit mo ngayon! Don’t tell me paglilihian mo rin ako katulad ni V?”

Napatingin si Death sa akin na katabi ko lang.

“Pinaglihian mo din sya?”

Mabilis akong umiling.

“Hindi, ah! He’s out of his mind.” As far as I can remember, si L ang pinaglihian ko noon at hindi si Archer.

“Nag-deny pa! Alam ko namang pinaglihian mo rin ang kagwapuhan ko no—”

“Putangina! Tumahimik ka na nga!” I heard Plutus annoyed voice that cut Archer off to whatever he’s about to say. I smirked and tighten the ponytail on my hair.

Merda! I think I need to cut my hair for these purposes. It can be a hindrance when I’m fighting.

Napatingin tuloy ako kay Eresh na may maikling buhok ngayon. She seemed unbothered and there’s not even a hint of fear in her eyes for what about we’re gonna do.

I can’t help but to smile. We need someone who’s so strong like her. I’m glad that she’s now part of our group.

We were hiding ourselves while waiting for the signal to move to our position. Kanina pa nakaposisyon si Archer na nasa isang mataas na puno dahil walang mataas na building na malapit dito. Puro mga puno lang dahil ang hideout ay malapit sa gubat.

“Kier, I think you need to be with Plutus’ group.” I heard Tracer’s voice on the earpiece.

Nagkatinginan kami ni Death. He held the earpiece and pressed it closer to his right ear, checking if he heard him right.

“What?” tanong pa ni Death. I held his hand. He’s frowning and I know that he didn’t like what Tracer said.

“Go with Plutus.” it was L who answered this time. “Leave the gamemaster’s room to the Mad Queen, Fourth and V. Kaya na nila yan.”

I saw Eresh rolled her eyes when she heard the codename that they give her. She insisted na huwag na raw dahil hindi naman sya gumagamit noon and that the gamemaster already know about her but they still gave her one anyway.

“Hindi pwedeng maghiwalay si Fourth at Ate Eres— I mean the Mad Queen. She’s pregnant.” Alter said.

“Matagal pa ba ’yan?” dinig kong reklamo ni Plutus.

“This is taking too long.” Viper seconded.

“Kier, just do what they’ve said.” it was Aius. It was an order from the King kaya wala nang nagawa si Death kundi ang bumuntong-hininga at sumunod na lang.

“Will you be okay?” Death asked. And before I could answer, I heard Archer groaned.

“Si V pa talaga tinanong mo nyan?”

Merda! He made it sounds like I’m some kind of an amazona!

“I’m okay, Death.” I said, ignoring Archer’s remarks. “Go to where Plutus now.”

He nodded and kissed me on the cheeks before he moved to go to where Plutus is.

I unconsciously put my hand over my tummy.

I’m sorry, Death. Now is not the right time to tell you about this. Naaalala ko pa ang ginawa mo noon. And I don’t want to be out in this now that we’re at the endgame. Kailangan nating matulong-tulong dito para matapos na ang laro.

When I turned on my left side, I saw Eresh eyeing me. She’s looking at my hand that was on my tummy kaya mabilis kong inalis ang kamay ko doon. She just rolled her eyes at me before she looked away.

Merda! She didn’t say anything but I know that she knows about my condition now.

“Archer, do you see any movements?” L asked.

“Nope. It’s safe to move now.”

“On three.” said Tracer and we readied ourselves. “One, two—”

“Teka…” Archer intervened. “Is it before three or after three?”

“Putangina, Archer. On three nga!” malakas na mura ni Plutus na nagpatawa kay Archer.“

“Ang seryoso nyo kasi!”

I rolled my eyes. Sinisi pa talaga kami?! He did this before as well kaya alam kong hindi talaga sya seryoso sa tanong nya!

“Stupid.” Eresh said and Fourth chuckled beside her.

Tracer started counting again.

“One, two, three!”

Mabilis ang mga kilos namin at pinasok na ang hideout ng Red Faction. Our senses heighten at pinakiramdaman ang paligid sa kung anuman ang humarang sa daan namin.

Our guns all have silencer so I know that it wasn’t from the group when I heard a gunshot coming from Viper’s location. I got worried for my brother but I know that he can defeat the enemies.

I’m sure the gunshot allerted the enemies now kaya mas lalo pa kaming nag-ingat. Fourth was leading the way, shielding Eresh and me against the enemies. Kaya nang may magpakitang kalaban ay si Fourth na ang bumaril doon.

“Stay behind me.” Fourth reminded Eresh who just nodded at him. Sa gitna ng mga pangyayari ay hindi ko naiwasan ang pagngiti.

Eresh is gentle towards Fourth. Well, ganoon din naman si Fourth sa kanya.

I still remember that day when we talked about the chess game. It was Fourth who introduced the game and explained everything to me. Merda! I could still remember how he provoked me just so I would accept his offer.

He’s cunning!

Gunshots heard from everywhere but I could tell that our enemies where inexperienced kaya alam kong kayang-kaya namin silang matalo. Fourth also defeated without a sweat the enemies who tried to stop us. Eresh was walking behind him with a poise like she’s just walking on a runway.

In no time, we reached the gamemaster’s room.

Nagkatinginan kaming tatlo at walang nagsalita but I was still able to understand the message in Fourth’s eyes. Bumilang sya gamit ang mga daliri nya at sa pangatlo ay padarag nyang binuksan ang pinto, only to be greeted by an empty room.

Natigilan kami at napatingin sa loob. The lights weren’t on but all the CCTV’s monitors were open kaya naging maliwanag pa rin ang kwarto.

“There’s nothing in the garden.” I heard Plutus on the earpiece.

“Wala rin sa first floor.” said Aius.

“I think it were only the goons that’s in here.” it was Viper who said that.

Walang nagsalita sa aming tatlo. Fourth walked in the room, still on guard and Eresh and I followed him. Pero wala talagang tao sa kwartong iyon.

It seems like they knew that we’re gonna infiltrate this place. Tracer, L and Alter couldn’t hack the CCTV. It seems like Shielder is a really good hacker. So good that he surpassed the skills of the one who taught him how to hack, Tracer. His brother wasn’t able to break down the firewall that he built in this place. Kaya hindi namin alam kung nandito sila Violet o wala.

Violet… I still can’t believe that you’re a spy.

“Wait.”

Napatingin ako kay Eresh at nakita kong may kinuha sya sa ibabaw ng control table doon. It was a red envelope.

Eresh opened it and pulled out small paper. It was like a note at mas malaki pa nga ang sobre para sa kapirasong papel na iyon.

“Hello, Chess Pieces.” Eresh read what was written on the paper out loud. “I’m so happy that I’ll be able to play this game with you. And for that, I want to give you something as a gift.”

“Ano ’yan?” tanong ni Archer.

“We saw an envelope with that note inside.” I answered.

“Kanino galing?” Alter asked.

“Shh…”

Napatahimik kaming lahat dahil kay Fourth. He held out a hand while he pressed his forefinger against his lips.

“I hear something.” he said. I tried to highten my sense of hearing and true enough, I’m hearing an odd sound.

Fourth tried to find where the sound was coming from. I did the same. Nakita kong lumuhod pa si Fourth at mukhang sa sahig nanggagaling ang tunog.

He tried to removed the tiles on the floor and we were surprised when he did. But we got more surprised when we saw what’s in it.

“A fucking time bomb!” Fourth exclaimed. “Thirty second to explode!”

Tracer cursed on the other line. “Fall back! Retreat, fuckers! You wouldn’t be able to stop that! Get out! Now!”

Without having a second thought, mabilis kaming kumilos paalis ng hideout na iyon. Tracer knew that it was not an ordinary time bomb that was easy to stop. He’s certain the Shielder, as King Lancer, was the one who made that bomb.

Damn it, Shielder! You were our shield, the one who’s always protecting us, but now you are attacking us!

Nakapasok na kami sa loob ng gubat nang sumabog ang bomba. We looked back and saw that the hideout is now on fire.

I sighed when I felt Death’s arms encircled around my waist. My eyes remained on the hideout and just watched as the fire tried to eat everything.

Everyone is safe… For now. Alam kong marami pa kaming kailangan pagdaanan bago matapos ang lahat.

But I am also sure that this is just the beginning of the end.

Chapter 1

I could see the confusion in their eyes. Half of their faces were covered with a mask kaya

kitang

-kita ko ang expression

sa

mga

mata

nila

. They were confused because of what I’ve just told them.

I smirked. They don’t have any idea on what’s about to come.

Kitang

-kita ang

kaguluhan

sa

mga

mata

nila

. Pero

dahil

sa

pag

eensayo

na

ginawa

nila

para

maging

mahusay

na secret agents ng

gobyerno

ay

nagawa

ng ilan na

itago

ang

emosyon

sa

mga

mata

nila

.

Napangisi

ako. Still, I know that I am so close to my victory. I just have to use this people wisely, then everything will be settle.

“Do you know the game of chess, agents?”

Nakita ko ang

pagkunot

ng

noo

ni Demeter

sa

sinabi

ko.

“

Oo

. So

ano

?

Maglalaro

lang kami ng chess?“

Tumawa

ako at

umiling

. “No. We’re not gonna play an ordinary chess game.”

Mas

lalong

napakunot

ang

mga

noo

nila

sa

sinabi

ko at

bumaha

ng

pagtataka

sa

mga

mata

nila

. I smirked. It was so entertaining to see them being like this. They’re all smart, I know that. Pero para

sa

kanila

, ang

mga

sinasabi

ko ay

batas

.

So I must move with caution. One wrong move ay alam kong

makakahalata

sila

sa

plano ko. Ang

kailangan

ko lang

gawin

ay

pag

away-

awayin

pa sila

nang

sa

gayon

ay ang

mga

kasamahan

nila

ang

puntiryahin

nila

.

“Can you go straight to the point?” I heard Darker asked who looked impatient. I smirked.

The hot-headed Darker.

“Have you ever heard of the Human Chess game? It’s a popular game in Italy.” I said.

Mas lalo kong nakita ang

pagtataka

sa

mga

mata

nila

. Gusto kong

tumawa

nang

malakas

.

Ngayon

pa lang,

nakikita

ko

nang

hindi

masasayang

ang

oras

ko

sa

kanila

. I will surely enjoy playing with them.

Muli

akong

sumandal

sa

upuan

ko

habang

nakatingin

sa

malaking

screen

sa

harapan

ko. All of them were looking at me as they wait for my words.

I chuckled before I smirked.

“In this game, you are gonna be the chess pieces.”

---

I removed the earpiece off my ears when Aius said that they were on their way back in this hideout. I looked at my laptop, still trying to breakdown the security wall that my brother built around the Red Faction’s hideout.

“Give it up, Tracer.” L said to me nang makita nya ako sa ginagawa ko. Kanina pa nila binitiwan ni Alter ang mga laptop nila.

“I have to find a clue.” I said and looked back on the screen of my laptop again.

“By the time when you broke down the firewall, baka abo na lang ang maabutan mo doon.” I heard L said that made me stop.

He does have a point. It’s been weeks since I’ve been doing this, trying to get pass the security that my brother built but to no avail. Still, I didn’t give up and did everything until the last meaning.

I sighed. I just couldn’t believe that Gray could surpassed my skills in hacking. It was our father who taught me about computers and hacking. Ako pa nga ang nagturo sa kapatid ko pero nahigitan nya ako.

It made me think that maybe, he’s the one who inherited our father’s skills. Madali kasi syang natuto at ngayon nga ay hindi namin mapabagsak ang firewall na ginawa nya kahit nagtulong-tulong pa kami nina L at Alter.

Fuck… If only I have known that everything will go down to this, I should’ve done everything so that Gray wouldn’t be included in the game.

“May clue na naman tayo, Tracer.” sabi ni Alter kaya napatingin ako sa kanya. “’Yung sulat na natanggap ni Ate Eresh.”

Indeed. It is a clue. Iyon na lang ang mayroon kami para mahanap ang bagong hideout nila. I know that I will have a hard time again finding their location. Kung hindi pa nga mismo si Gray ang nagsabi sa akin kung nasaan ang hideout noong mga panahong gusto nya akong i-torture at pahirapan, may palagay akong hindi ko mahahanap kung nasaan sila noon.

Fuck. I just want my brother back.

Napatingin kami sa may hagdan nang makarinig kami ng mga yabag. We saw Hoax walking down the stairs, his hands were inside the pockets of his pants as he sat down on the chair in front of us.

“What happened to the mission?” he asked.

“Wala. Pabalik na sila.” it was Alter who answered.

Hoax eyebrows knitted in confusion and he looked like he didn’t understand what Alter said. Napatingin ako kay Alter at nakita kong naiinis syang napakamot sa pisngi nya. She probably forgot that Hoax still doesn’t understand Tagalog as he was still learning. Alter chewed on her lollipop.

“We failed.” she said. “They knew that we’re gonna raid the hideout so our team didn’t find anyone there. They’re on their way back here at the moment.”

Hoax nodded. “Understable since they knew that you, Tracer and the Mad Queen know the location of the hideout.”

We fell in silence. Kahit naman kami ay ganoon din ang gagawin kung malaman ng kalaban ang hideout namin. We were lucky back then that we killed Liam the day when he raid L’s house before he could tell to anyone where the hideout is.

But I felt so bad about him. Eresh told us that he was just avenging what happened to his parents. The people in their manor got murdered at sya lang ang itinira.

We’re just the same.

“How’s Ishtar?” I heard L asked Hoax and he just shrugged.

“I think she doesn’t have the courage to face all of you that’s why she chose to stay inside her room.”

I don’t know how L feel about Ishtar since he knew her for so long but I’m pretty sure that he’s disappointed with her as well. Mas lalo pa si Aius na hindi nang magawang tignan pa sa mga mata si Ishtar at parang hangin na lang kung ituring nya.

Of course. Ishtar was the reason of Angela’s death. If it weren’t for her, then she might’ve still be alive.

Jealousy is indeed a worst kind of feeling.

The others came back after half an hour and the atmosphere changed into a gloomy one. Alam kong hindi rin naman nila inaasahan na may maabutan pa sila doon. They knew that Yucca, Shielder and the gamemaster won’t be there but they still took the chance. As we all want this game to be finished as soon as possible.

Fuck the gamemaster. I’m gonna make sure that he’ll pay for what he did to my brother.

“Did you find anything?” L asked kahit na alam nyang wala na rin naman.

Napatingin silang lahat kay Eresh na inis silang tinignan pabalik isa-isa.

“Can I just take a seat first?”

Napailing ako. I thought Artemis is a bratty one pero mas malala sya. Her mouth doesn’t have any filter and she always says whatever’s on her mind. She’s a man’s nightmare actually. I wonder how Fourth could keep up on her.

But there are two things that I like about Eresh. She’s brave and she has the heart for everything. We all knew that despite her remarks, she’s actually a soft person.

Eresh sat on the sofa like a Queen and opened up the zipper in front of her tight top. She pulled out the red envelope that she hid under her brassiere. Plutus laughed and Eresh raised an eyebrow at him.

“What? Enjoying the view?” she asked. Napangisi si Kylo at umiling na lang.

Eresh rolled her eyes before she closed her top’s zipper and faced everyone.

“There’s another thing inside this enveloped.” she said and took it out. “It’s a recorder.”

It was a small black recorder with three inches length and two inches wide. It has three buttons on the sides, two blacks and one red button.

“Play it.” Archer said. Eresh looked at him with an annoyed expression on her face.

“You don’t have to tell me ’cause I’m still gonna fucking do it.”

Natawa si Archer while Fourth, who’s standing on her side, kissed the top of her head. Eresh sighed before she pressed the red button.

“Hello, Chess Pieces! Did you receive my gift?”

We frowned when we heard a high-pitched robotic voice. It was obvious that whoever it was, it was using a voice changer.

“That was just an appetizer! The main course is…” We heard a drum roll. “Charan! The Red Faction’s new hideout!”

Nagkatinginan kami. Alam kong iisa lang ang tumatakbo sa utak namin.

This is another trap.

“I know that you’re thinking that this is a trap but it’s not.” the voice on the recorder said. “I’ll really tell you where it is if you could just answer my questions. Yes! Questions dahil maraming-maraming questions!”

“Who is this bitch?” I heard Eresh muttered.

“Kung gusto nyong matapos ang laro agad, then I’m your only way. Hindi nyo mahahanap kaagad ang hideout. Alam ni Tracer ’yon.”

They all looked at me. I cursed silently. Yes. What the voice said was right. Nahirapan ako sa paghahanap ng hideout nila noon, alam kong mas mahihirapan kami ngayon. With my brother as King Lancer, he’ll do everything to protect the gamemaster.

“I’ll give you time to think. Just press the red button again if you come up with a decision. I promise that I’ll really tell you where the hideout is kapag nasagot nyo ang mga tanong ko. You have my word.”

The voice ended after that. Natahimik kami. Hindi alam ang gagawin. The voice said that it wasn’t a trap but we still cannot be sure. Kung hahayaan naman nila na kami nila L at Alter ang maghanap sa hideout, I don’t know how long it will take. Or if we could even find the location.

Fuck it.

“What now?” Eresh asked, still holding the recorder.

“Everything’s up to the trackers. Location ng hideout ng Red Faction ang pinag-uusapan dito.” Viper said.

“Yeah. I think they should have a say in this.” V seconded.

“You should think about this carefully. Hindi na tayo dapat magkamali dito. Buhay ang nakasalalay.” Death said.

Nagkatinginan kami nina L at Alter and I saw in their eyes that they agreed with what’s on my mind. They also think that we will have a hard time on finding their hideout’s location.

“Tracer, make the decision.” Aius said. “You know about your brother’s skills.”

I gritted my teeth and closed my eyes. Damn it! Why does it feels like the gamemaster could still control us?

Kung hindi ako pumayag ay matatagalan kami sa paghahanap. Worse, baka umabot pa ng taon. But this voice is suspicious. Like it knows what I’m thinking. Sigurado sya sa kung anong iniisip ko. But this could also be our chance to stop the game immediately.

Fuck.

I balled my fist and looked at Eresh.

“Play it again.”

Chapter 2

Napangisi ako sa likod ng maskara ko. Ang pagtataka ay nasa mga mukha pa rin nila at mas dumoble pa nang sabihin ko kung anong laro ang gusto kong laruin nila.

This is gonna be exciting. It will be boring at first but I know as time goes by, they will entertain me at most.

I looked at their face, particularly on their eyes as it was the only part that I could see. Tinignan ko sila isa-isa sa mga mata nila at kinabisado ang bawat pagkakaiba nila.

Chess game but you’re all gonna be my pawn.

“I know that game.” said Rider. I know he does as he’s an Italian. “But in order to play it, it requires two gamemasters just like how a normal chess game does.”

“Ah… That.” I said and thankful that he pointed that out. “I’m gonna be the gamemaster. The only gamemaster and will set out the rules for this game. Pero kayo ang bahala sa mga strategies nyo.”

“The chess pieces playing the chess game?” asked Rogue and I smiled at her behind my mask.

“That’s quite right, Rogue. Remember… You will play this game to sort out your problems.”

“Does the government knows about this?” Wolf asked and I turned to him.

“No. Do you want the government to know the conflict in this group, then?”

Walang nagsalita sa kanila kaya napangiti ako. Ah… These people. Hindi nila kayang ipaalam sa gobyerno as they know the consequences.

“Paano kami pipili kung sino ang magiging King?” dinig tanong ni Panther.

“Through your skills. But first, you will separate the group first. Ang isa ay mahahati sa dalawa. At kapag nahati ay doon na makakapili ng mga magiging pieces nyo.”

Nagkatinginan silang lahat. Wala ako sa lugar kung nasaan sila but I could feel the tension in the air. Mahina akong napatawa. Hindi naman pala ganoong kahirap hatiin sa dalawa ang grupo nila dahil sila na mismo ang gumawa ng rason para doon.

“I will talk to you one by one and you’ll tell me which group you want to join.”

I smirked.

“The EL Ordre or the Red Faction.”

---

Eresh pressed the red button as per Tracer’s instructions and placed it on the top of the table. We all stared at it as we waited for that voice to speak again.

Death snaked his arms around my waist. I looked at him and I saw him eyeing the recorder that was on the table with a stern look on his face. I know that we are all suspicious about that mysterious voice. It can be a trap but for now, this is our only choice para mapabilis matapos ang game.

“Hello again, Chess Pieces! Did you miss me?” and then the voice laughed and because it was using a voice changer, it sounds eerie to me.

Merda! Nagtaasan yata lahat ng balahibo sa braso!

That made frowned. Hindi ako mabilis matakot pero bakit ngayon ay natatakot ako sa pagtawa ng boses na iyon?

Is it because I’m pregnant?

I got frightened by the voice, opposite to Eresh. Kitang-kita ko ang iritasyon sa mukha nya habang nakatitig sa recorder na nasa harapab namin.

“What’s with that bitch?” she muttered.

Fourth, who was sitting on the armrest of the sofa where she was sitting kissed the top of her head.

“Don’t let it get into you.” he said.

“If you’re listening to this, then I assume that you chose to get my help!” the voice said. “Answer the questions first and I’ll tell you where the Red Faction’s hideout is.”

“Sa tingin nyo ba kalaban sya?” Alter asked.

“We should treat anyone as our enemy now that we’re at the endgame.” Plutus answered. “Remember about Violet.”

I flinched by the mention of her name. Merda! I couldn’t help but to get affected as I really treated her as my friend!

I remember that she was the reason why Death and I finally had a label back then. She was the one who gave me advice about relationships. Ang laki ng naitulong nya sa relasyon namin ni Death.

I just couldn’t believe that she’s a traitor all along.

Does she ever treat me as her friend? Even just for once?

“You okay?” Death asked when he noticed my reaction. He held my hand and squeezed it that made me smile.

“Now I’m okay.”

“You ready for the question?” asked the voice. “Here’s my first question. What is the name of the game that you are playing?”

“That’s a dumb question.” Eresh said as she rolled her eyes.

“Bloody human chess game.” Archer answered before he frowned. “How can we give to it our answer, though?”

We heard a sound that’s coming from Tracer’s laptop. Napatingin kami doon pero dahil sa kanya lang nakaharap ang screen ay hindi namin alam kung anong nangyayari.

“What is it?” Viper asked when he saw the frown on Tracer’s laptop.

“I don’t know.” he said and tapped his fingers on the keyboard. “It’s like a spam message.”

Pinakita nya kina L at Alter ang kung anong meron sa laptop nya. The couple frowned as well.

“It’s not a spam.” Alter said. “I think that’s the voice’s response to our answer. I mean, ang timing lang, diba? Try to open it.”

“It’s dangerous.” L said. “All the informations in his laptop might get stolen if he clicks it.”

Inis na tumingin si Alter sa katabi nya.

“Mas magaling ako sa inyong dalawa kaya alam ko if it’s dangerous or not so just open it!”

It was Alter who clicked on Tracer’s laptop. Huli na bago nya nailayo ang laptop nya kay Alter dahil nabuksan na ang message at nakarinig kami ng panibagong tunog na parang may nagpapalakpakan.

“Congratulations! You got it right!” said the voice on Tracer’s laptop. It was the same voice that was on the recorder.

“See? Kayo lang ’tong walang tiwala sa akin, eh.” Alter said as she crossed her arms over her chest. Natawa si L at niyakap na lang sya.

“That was just a giveaway question.” the voice said. “Now, for the next question, this might be a hard one.”

Inilapag ni Tracer and laptop nya sa lamesa at sumandal sya sa sofang kinauupuan nya. We all waited for the voice to speak again.

“In the game of chess, how many Queens can a King have?”

“Nine.” mabilis na sagot ni Hoax.

We heard that same sound again when we got the right answer to the first question. It’s making me cringe as it’s making me feel like we’re just being played.

“Bingo!” the voice said again. “But I heard some news! That the Queen of the EL Ordre is a selfish one at ginusto nyang sya lang ang Queen! Didn’t she know how to separate the reality between a game? She killed someone out of her selfishness!”

The voice giggled. I saw Aius clenched his jaw as his hands were balled in a fist. He’s livid right now as he glared at Tracer’s laptop with so much resentment.

Nakarinig ako ng mga yabag mula sa ikalawang palapag ng hideout. I was the only one who saw Ishtar’s room’s door closed in a hurry pero pinigilan na makagawa ng tunog. I’m sure that she heard what the voice said.

Merda! I feel sorry for her but what she did is wrong. Hindi lang buhay ang naging kapalit sa pagiging makasarili nya.

It was also Aius’ happiness and love.

“For the third question.” the voice said. “What is the name and the codename of the Rook that pretended to be a man just so the enemies wouldn’t target her?”

We all looked at Tracer and saw him gritting his teeth. I feel sad for him. Ang daming naranasan ng mga Sanford sa larong ito.

But still, we all have our own sufferings because of this game.

“Anastasia… Galanos.” Tracer answered. “Codename, Rogue.”

Tracer closed his eyes tight as we hear that same sound again. Kitang-kita ko ang pagdurusa sa mukha nya. And I couldn’t help but to get hurt for him as I remember those times he tried so hard to look for the one who killed his parents.

“You got it right!” said the voice again. “You know, I got a news that the in former Bloody Human Chess game, mababa ang tingin nila sa mga babae. They thought that they wouldn’t be stronger than a man. Kaya pinagtutulungan nila ang mga babae noon.”

“A stupid mindset.” Eresh commented

“Anyway, the next question is an exciting one!” the voice said. “And I’m giving you a time limit to answer this one.”

We heard another sound from Tracer’s laptop and before he could check what it is, the voice spoke again.

“I sent you something and you need to translate it first before you get the next question. Goodluck.”

The voice stopped and Tracer leaned on the table to tap on his laptop. He cursed as he gritted his teeth.

“Six hours for this question.” he tapped something again and showed his laptop to us. “The voice wants us to decipher the message.”

True enough, we saw a bunch of characters, numbers and letters on the screen from the message that was sent to Tracer. For someone like me who doesn’t know about codes and ciphers, I know I wouldn’t be able to answer this.

And as I looked around, I saw that they were like me as well. Eresh even leaned her back on the sofa like she will just watch the others to decipher the code.

She smirked.

“The floor is all yours, trackers.”

Message:

=(l/cAKY]/+CT)&+EMX5Ecbl ’

Chapter 3

I sipped on the lollipop that’s inside my mouth and I noticed L looked at me with a frown on his face. Lumingon din ako sa kanya nang nakakunot ang noo. Habang ang mga teammates namin ay nakatingin sa laptop ni Tracer at pinoproblema ang message doon, si L naman ay problemado sa maingay na pagkain ko sa lollipop ko.

He still has his issues about my lollipop. I see…

But instead of being annoyed with him, I actually felt happy now that he’s giving me that reaction. Naalala ko noong hindi pa sya gumigising. The doctor said that he’s okay yet it still took a week for him before finally waking up.

I felt so devastated during those times that he’s in deep sleep. Halos araw-araw akong umiiyak. I was so worried for him that I didn’t eat a lollipop over those times.

Pero ngayon na gising na sya, wala na akong pakialam kung mainis man sya dahil sa pagkain ko ng lollipop. I know why he’s being like this anyway.

“Stop that, Codee.” saway nya nang hindi na makayanan.

I giggled and held the stick of the lollipop. Maingay ko iyong inalis sa bibig ko and that made him more frustrated. He’s really annoyed now.

“I missed this. ’Yung pagsaway mo whenever I eat a lollipop.” emosyonal kong sabi.

I saw his expression softened. He sighed and pulled me closer to him to give me a kiss on my temple. I smiled when I felt his warmth. Ibinalik ko ang lollipop sa bibig ko at maingay na sumipsip doon.

“Tangina…” he lazily cursed that made me laugh.

Umayos ulit ako ng upo dahil parehong may laptop na nakapatong sa mga hita namin ni L. I faced the front and saw my teammates looking at Tracer’s laptop with a frown on their faces.

“Anong lenggwahe ’yan?” tanong ni V na may hindi maipintang itsura habang nakatingin sa laptop ni Tracer.

“Parang napindot lang ng bata ’yung keyboard at aksidenteng na-send.” said Creed that made me laugh.

“Why are you showing it to us anyway?” Ate Eresh said irritably. “Para pagmukhaing wala kaming alam sa mga ganyan?”

Tracer smirked and turned the screen of the laptop his way. He looked at Ate Eresh like he’s mocking her or something.

“Maybe.” asar nya at nakatanggap sya ng irap kay Ate Eresh.

I couldn’t help but to smile. I could still remember those times when Tracer was so angry at Ate Eresh. I know that his anger towards her could kill someone but he never really hurt Ate Eresh. He never laid a hand on her kahit na sobra sobra pa ang galit nya. He’s true to his words. He’s not hurting women physically. Verbally lang. At masakit syang magsalita kapag galit na.

Kahit sino naman siguro.

But I’m glad that they’re both comfortable with each other now. Tinatarayan na sya ni Ate Eresh at nang aasar pa nga si Tracer sa kanya.

I remember those times as well when I was scared with Ate Eresh. Pa’no ba naman kasi! Mukhang palaging may hindi magandang plano! She looked so intimidating back then! Kahit naman ngayon pero mas comfortable na ako sa kanya ngayon.

I know that she was just a misunderstood person. Hindi ako sumuko sa kanya. I know that behind her cruel facade is a woman who just want someone to understand her.

And looking at Fourth who’s sitting on the armrest of the sofa where Ate Eresh is sitting, I know that he’s the one. He broke down the wall that she built around her.

Napangiti ako nang tumawa si Fourth sa pagsusungit ni Ate Eresh. She glared at him but Fourth just looked at her with love in his eyes.

“You want to decipher this?” tanong ni Tracer sa akin at pinakita nya sa akin ang message sa laptop nya.

I frowned. “Hindi mo kaya?”

He laughed at me. “Too easy. We don’t need six hours for that.”

I looked at the message and saw that it’s really easy. The voice used a code that is not well-known pero kapag nalaman kung anong code ang ginamit ay madali na. Tingin ko nga ay hindi nya talaga kami pinahirapan dito.

But why did the voice give us six hours for this?

Tracer hand me his laptop and I accepted it.

“It’s ASCII85.” I said. “Also known as Based85. It is used in Adobe’s Postscript and Portable Document Format, also known as PDF, file formats. And in the patch encoding for binary files used by Git.”

I was talking while my eyes were on the laptop as my hands worked, tapping the keyboard and decoding the message.

“It is similar to Base64 encoding but this one is using 5 ASCII characters to code 4 bytes.” I continued. The stick of the lollipop is moving when I speak. “Meaning, if you have a number larger than 4 bytes, you break it into words of 4 bytes and convert—”

“Alter.”

I was cut off when Ate Eresh called me. I stopped and looked at her and saw her annoyed expression.

“You can tell us the message without explaning what kind of fucking language is that. We can’t understand you anyway.”

Some of them chuckled. Napanguso ako. Nagpapaliwanag lang naman ako, eh.

I couldn’t help it. I always feel excited when working with computers. I like things like this. My blood will always boil with excitement whenever there’s a code that I need to decipher or there’s something that I need to hack. Kaya hindi ko napigilan ang sarili ko sa pagsasalita.

I’m glad that I could still do what I love even if we’re in the middle of the game. Others need to sacrifice something para lang sa larong ito.

Tracer was away with his family. I heard that Artemis is in her parents’ house at tinutulungan sa pag-aalaga sa kambal nila. Creed was always whining dahil hindi nya daw maalagaan ang asawa nya. She’s pregnant at malapit na ang kabwanan. She was with Artemis as well dahil walang ibang mag-aalaga sa kanya as both Creed and his wife were an orphan.

Kier and V were away with their daughter who’s in Italy. And Ate Eresh is pregnant. Mas delikado para sa kanya pero pinili nya na tapusin ang laro.

And me… I miss my father.

We chose to sacrifice our lives and our time with our love ones just so we could finish this game quickly. Kung papipiliin between being with our love ones but the it will prolong the game, mas pipiliin pa rin namin ang mapalayo sa kanila.

It’ll be dangerous for them. And we all want to finish this game as soon as possible.

Napakunot ang noo ko when I finally decipher the code. Iniharap ko ang laptop sa kanila.

“Where it all started.” that was the message.

Nagkatinginan kaming lahat. Hindi sigurado sa kung anong ibig sabihin noon. I held the stick of my lollipop and twist it while the candy is inside my mouth.

“What does it mean?” asked Plutus. Kunot na kunot ang noo nya habang nakatitig sa laptop.

“And we’re given six hours for this.” Viper said. “Is that a question?”

“If it is, then what is it talking about?” Hoax asked.

Natahimik ako. We were all thinking about that message. But I couldn’t think anything. Napatingin ako kay L sa tabi ko. He looked bored and lazy as hell but I know that he’s in deep thought.

“It’s about the bloody human chess game.” Fourth concluded.

“Where… did the game started.” Aius said, translating the message for us.

“There are three answers if that’s the case.” Ate Eresh said. She held out three of her finger. “First, the answer might be the last bloody human chess game as it was the first. That means we have to dig deeper.”

That means that our parents are now involved in this.

“Second.” Ate Eresh glanced at Aius. “It could mean that time when… Aius’ Queen died. And third, it could be that time when the former Rooks were killed.”

“But the question is where. The answer must be a place.” Kier said. Nakita namin na may punto sya.

“It is.” sumandal si Ate Eresh sa upuan nya. “And I think that the real question is in that place.”

“That’s why we were given six hours for this.” Archer muttered but we all heard it. “Baka kailangan hanapin ang tanong doon sa lugar na tamang sagot.”

The problem is, hindi namin alam kung anong lugar ang tinutukoy sa message. Ate Eresh mentioned three places. If it’s the first one, about the former game, matatagalan kami.

Why does it feels like someone is playing with us? I feel like we’re a real chess pieces na pinagkakatuwaan ng gamemaster.

I gritted my teeth. All of us suffered because of this game.

Pero hindi kami magpapatalo sa laro. I know that we can win this. We just have to give our all.

We’re gonna have that life that we deserve.

“So?” I heard Plutus asked. He’s looking at Ate Eresh. “What’s the plan?”

Ate Eresh frowned at him. “Why me?”

He chuckled. “You are the brain of this group.”

Ate Eresh raised an eyebrow at him. I could see the irritation in her eyes. Natawa ako. I don’t know why pero si Plutus ang palaging tinatarayan ni Ate Eresh nitong mga nakaraang araw. And Plutus, being the asshole he is, will just annoy her more.

“I am aware of that.” Ate Eresh said. She’s already glaring at Plutus who was just smirking at her. “I gave you the answers already that I am sure your stupid little brain wouldn’t be able to think about.”

Plutus chuckled and she rolled her eyes at him. Natigil lang ang pagtawa ni Plutus nang iangat ni Fourth ang baba ni Ate Eresh para mapatingin sa kanya and he gave her a quick kiss on her lips.

I pouted my lips as I looked at Plutus who suddenly look all serious. Parang hindi tumawa at nang-asar kanina lang.

“Aius, make the plan.” Ate Eresh said. “You’re the King.”

Aius chuckled. “Eresh, the moment we decided to defeat the gamemaster, position doesn’t really matter anymore. We are not playing the chess game. We are trying to stop the stupid game.”

Ate Eresh rolled her eyes. “So? Ano ngang plano? We only have six hours!”

Napakamot na lang sa pisngi si Aius sa pagsusungit ni Ate Eresh. I think that they were all trying to understand her as she was pregnant. Mas dumoble kasi ang katarayan nya ngayong buntis sya.

“We’ll be divided into three groups for this.” Aius said. “First is for the former game. Second will be with Tracer and the last group will join me.”

We all nodded at that. Six hours. Six hours for this question. And the voice said that we need to answer questions from it so I’m expecting that this will not be the last one.

Marami pa. But to stop the game. To know where the Red Faction’s hideout is and meet the gamemaster, we’re willing to do anything.

We will give our all in this.

Chapter 4

I watched as they plan on how to divide the group into three. I am always like this whenever it comes to planning. Papanoorin lang sila hanggang sa may mabuo silang desisyon at hihintayin kung anong ipapagawa nila sa akin. Siguro ay nasanay na rin ako dahil ito ang kinagisnan ko.

Ate Eresh was always the leader and I was just the follower. Palagi lang akong nakasunod sa kanya. Always doing whatever she says. Enki and I were both alike but there’s still a difference between us. Enki had been blindly following Ate Eresh as he loved her and was also guilty about the past while me, sinusunod ko ang utos nya na may sama sa loob ko.

And the only plan that I made back then was to kill Enki to protect L.

But now, looking at them who was so eager to make the best plan for us, I feel so ashamed. I wanna do something too. I wanna help them make a plan. Hindi yung nandito lang ako at naghihintay sa ibibigay nila sa akin.

I chewed on the candy at my mouth. Maliit na kasi kaya kinagat ko na. When the candy melted, yung stick naman ang pinagdiskitahan ko at nginuya ang dulo.

I heard L sigh beside me. Napalingon ako sa kanya at nakitang nay dinudukot sya sa bulsa nya. I smiled when I saw that it’s a lollipop. He unwrapped it first before reaching for the stick that I’m chewing at ipinalit doon ang lollipop na bago.

“I love you.” I said with full of emotions.

He smiled at me. A lazy one but I could see the message in his eyes.

“I love you.” he said.

Ah… That’s also the thing that I missed when he was sleeping. Hearing him say that he loves me.

“My group will be Archer, Viper and me.” said Aius. “We’re gonna search on the condo where…”

Nang hindi matuloy ni Aius ang sasabihin nya ay natahimik kaming lahat. Suddenly, there was an awkward air inside the room.

We all understand him though. Angela’s dead is still hard for him. Lalo na ngayon nang malaman nyang may kinalaman si Ishtar sa pagkamatay ng babaeng mahal nya. The truth refreshed the pain in him.

He cleared his throat. He sighed before he continued talking.

“Tracer’s group will be with V and Kier. Balikan nyo ang bahay nila Tracer noon kung saan namatay ang mga magulang nila.” Aius said. “Both the condo and the Sanford house might be the answer. The first move in this game was when the Red Faction’s Knight killed… Angela. But the Sanford’s house might be as well. ’Cause when the the former Rooks died, it ignited the fire para magsimulang umatake ang bawat kampo.”

Ate Eresh clapped her hands at that. She seems so proud while looking at Aius who just gave us the explanation.

“Good job, Aius!” she said proudly. “You clearly got why those places were my answers! You have the brain and you’re not stupid. Hindi katulad ng isa dyan.”

Plutus chuckled. Mukhang nakuha nya kaagad na sya ang pinariringgan ni Ate Eresh.

“Pinaglilihian mo ba ako?” he asked.

Nag-eeskandalong tingin ang ibinigay sa kanya ni Ate Eresh. Like he just said something ridiculous and out of this world.

“Between you and Archer, mas gugustuhin kong sya na lang ang paglihian ko.”

Archer chuckled at that. “Gwapo ’yan panigurado.”

Ate Eresh rolled her eyes. “I changed my mind. Wala akong gustong paglihian sya inyo. You are all stupid.”

We all laughed like she didn’t say something offending. Sanay na kaming lahat sa kanya. Kahit ang mga EL Ordre na hindi pa ganoong katagal syang nakakasama. We all knew that she’s like that. But we also know that there’s kindness in her.

“And the last will be Fourh, Eresh, and Plutus.” Aius continued.

Nakita ko ang pagsimangot ni Ate Eresh nang mabanggit ang huli nilang kasama. Plutus, on the other hand, smiled at her.

“Fourth, talk to your father about the former chess game.” Aius said to Fourth.

Fourth nodded. “Certainly. He’s on his way in the Philippines as we talked.”

“So team bahay sina Hoax, L, and Alter.” Archer said. He nodded at Hoax. “Keep an eye on Ishtar.”

“Are we all set?” Aius asked. Halos hindi pa sya tapos sa pagsasalita nang bahagyang itinaas ni Ate Eresh ang kamay nya.

“I want to have a slight changes on that.” she said.

Plutus chuckled. “Oh, c’mon. You can’t really stand my presence?”

Ate Eresh looked at him with irritation in her eyes.

“Stop dreaming. You’re not that important.” she looked at Aius. “I want V in my group.”

We all looked at her. Ate Eresh raised her eyebrow like we didn’t have the rights to question her decision. But of course, Kier, as V’s husband, didn’t care.

“Why?” he asked. “V is safe with me.”

I saw Ate Eresh glanced at V. Nakatingin din si V sa sa kanya at nakita ko na parang nag-uusap sila gamit ang mga mata nila. That’s when I concluded that they’re hiding something from us. Alam kong napansin din iyon ng iba.

That made me anxious. We’re now at the endgame. I think it’ll be much better not to keep anything a secret that could affect the group. Dahil noong huling nagtago ako ng sikreto ay hindi maganda ang kinalabasan.

L got mad and disappointed at me. So as much as possible, I want everyone to trust one another. Para walang samaan ng loob na mangyari. It’s not good for the group.

“You really think that she’s safe with you?” Ate Eresh asked. “We’re just going to meet Fourth’s father and being the Duke, I’m sure that he’s heavily protected so it is safe. You know that, right? But we never know what’s waiting for you to those places.”

“Are you saying that I can’t protect my wife?” tanong ni Kier at nakaramdam ako ng tensyon. But Ate Eresh smiled sweetly at him.

I know that smile. She was mocking Kier.

“I never said anything like that.” she said. “You’re the one who said so it might be true?”

Marahas na napatayo si Kier, obviously offended by her words. V held his arm like he was stopping him.

Napatigil tuloy ako sa pagsipsip ko sa lollipop ko. I saw Fourth stood up as well like he was ready to defend Ate Eresh who was just sitting comfortably and smiling at Kier.

“Stop it, Death.” V said. “I’ll go with Eresh.”

Napatingin si Kier sa kanya.

“What?”

“It’ll be safer.”

“You don’t trust me? You think I can’t protect you?” Kier asked. I heard the pain in his voice.

“Death, please.” V pleaded.

Nagpalipat-lipat ang tingin ni Kier kay Ate Eresh at kay V. We were all just looking at them. Waiting for his decision.

“Fine.” he said but I know na labag iyon sa loob nya. “I’ll go with Fourth as well. Magpapalit kami ni Plutus.”

“No, Kier. Sa grupo ka ni Tracer.” Aius quickly said. “Eresh is right. Hindi natin alam kung anong naghihintay sa atin doon. Tracer needs someone na sanay sa pakikipaglaban. You were a Pawn. Madalas kang kasama sa mga misyon unlike Plutus who was just keeping an eye to Ishtar before.”

“But that doesn’t mean that I’m not good in fighting.” Plutus defended himself. Napatingin si Aius sa kanya.

“Wala akong sinasabing ganyan.”

Plutus smirked and chose not to say anything. He puffed his vape and scent of vanilla filled the air.

“So dalawa lang sila sa grupo nila?” Viper asked. “Tracer and Kier.”

Tracer shrugged his shoulders. “We’re fine, though.”

Natahimik ako. I know that the group isn’t balanced. There were three in Aius’ group. Four at Ate Eresh’s group. Tracer isn’t fully recovered yet. He is still slightly limping because of his knees. Kaya alam kong magiging delikado sa grupo nila.

My heart hammered. I… haven’t experienced being on the frontline yet. I know I can fight. Maybe not as good as the rest of them but I can still fight.

And maybe… This is the big decision that I should made.

“No, you can’t.” sabi ni Aius bago pa ako makapagsalita. “You still have your injured knees, Tracer.”

“Lilipat na lang ako sa kanila.” Archer said.

“Much better.” sabi ni Aius. “So Tracer, Archer, and Kier. Viper and me. And Fourth, Eresh, V and Plutus. Okay na ba?”

No. It isn’t. We might be planning on killing the gamemaster but we’re still in the middle of the game. We might not be treating each other with our position on the chess game but Aius is still the King. If he got killed, then it’ll be over for us.

I gathered my courage and slowly… I raised my hand.

“I want to be in your group, Aius.”

Napansin ko ang mabilis na paglingon ni L sa tabi ko. He called my name. Parang sinasaway ako sa gusto kong mangyari but my decision is final.

“You’re still the King, Aius.” I said. “You still need to be protected. If you die, it’ll be game over for us. We’re still in the middle of the Bloody Human Chess game.”

“Codee!” tawag ulit ni L sa pangalan ko. I looked at him.

“L, I’m sure that you can handle it alone. I’m sure that you can guide us. You’re a good tracker.”

“Hindi ako papayag na sumama ka sa kanila.” he said. “Ako na lang ang sasama.”

“No!” tanggi ko. “L, hindi ka pa magaling! And we all agreed that you’ll join us in this as long as you’ll stay in this hideout as the group’s tracker!”

“’Cause I thought that you’ll stay by my side, too!” he almost shouted at me. “Codee, sa tingin mo ba matatahimik ako dito habang nandoon ka at nakikipaglaban?”

I got his point. I am scared but I’m trying to be brave. Naiisip ko na magkapalit kami ng pwesto ni L. Mararamdaman nya ang naramdaman ko noon kung sa akin naman ang may mangyaring masama.

But this isn’t all about us. We have our teammates. And in order for us to be a strong group, we must give our all in this.

“L…” I looked at him in the eye. “We are not the only one in this group. I understand your sentiments pero sana, maintindihan mo that this is the best for the group. We are all making sacrifices here just to stop the game.”

Nakita ko ang pagtanggi sa mga mata nya but he didn’t say anything which is good. Means that he’s trying to understand what I’m saying.

“You know that I’m a good fighter, right? Hindi man ako kasing galing nila but I can still fight and defend myself. Please, L. Let me do this.”

Tatanggi sya. Alam kong tatanggi sya. At alam ko din na susundin ko ang anumang gusto nya kung sakaling hindi nya ako payagan.

“Let him be, L.” Ate Eresh said which shocked me to the core. “This is a big decision that Codee made. She was just following my orders back then. Kaya alam kong matagal nya ’tong pinag-isipan. I hope you’ll respect that.”

“Ate…”

“She always wanted to be in the frontline. Even though she’s our tracker and provides information for us and being our eye in every mission, I’m aware that she still thinks that she’s useless. Let her do this so she can finally throw that stupid idea out of her fucking head.” mahabang lintanya ni Ate Eresh. Natawa pa si Fourth sa pagmumura nya.

Pero halos maluha ako doon. I always thought that she doesn’t care about our feelings. I always thought that she’s selfish. Palaging walang pakialam sa paligid kundi ang sarili nya lang at ang manalo sa laro. I never thought that she’s also observing us. At alam na alam nya ang nararamdaman ko.

See? My Ate Eresh is really kind. She was just a misunderstood one.

Napatingin ako kay L. I can see that he’s in deep thought. Pinag-iisipan nyang mabuti ngayon hindi gaya kanina na sigurado akong tatanggi sya. And when he sighed in defeat, I almost celebrated.

“Alright.” L said. “But please, Codee… Be careful.”

“Don’t worry, L.” Viper said. “Hindi rin naman namin sya pababayaan.”

I smiled and hugged L before I removed my lollipop in my mouth and gave a peck on his lips. He rolled his eyes that made me chuckle.

“Pwede nang maging teleserye ang EL Ordre.” Archer suddenly said. “Palagi akong nakakanood ng drama, eh.”

We all glared at him but he continued like an insensitive one.

“Una ’yung kina V at Kier. ’Yung buntis si V at ayaw na ni Kier na sumali sya sa mission. Pangalawa yung kina Tracer at Artemis. That time when they saw each other again after a long time. Third—”

“Will be the story of your death if you won’t shut the fuck up!” inis na sabi ni Plutus.

That’s when Archer only noticed our glares at him. Natigilan sya. Sa huli ay napakamot na lang sa ulo at natawa.

“I need a lumpia.” sabi nyang hindi namin pinansin.

“Are we all good?” Aius asked.

Lahat kami ay tumango. He seems contented with our answers.

“Good. Then let’s go. The clock is ticking.”

And with that, we readied ourselves.

Chapter 5

I zipped the tight top that I’m wearing before reaching for the lollipop inside the pocket of my pants. I unwrapped it. Ang pagtatanggal ko ng plastic ay lumikha ng tunog pero hindi iyon pinansin ng mga kasama ko. Seems like they used to this sound whenever I unwrapped my lollipop.

I put my favorite candy inside my mouth and sipped on it to get the sweet taste. Tumingin agad ako kay L pagkatapos noon at nakita ang bahagyang pagsasalubong ng mga kilay nya habang nakatitig sa laptop nya. I smiled at mas piniling hindi na lang sya istorbohin.

We were getting ready for this mission. Kakatapos lang ng isa pero heto kami at naghahanda na naman para sa panibago.

We need to get the answer before receiving the new question. Ate Eresh thinks na ang tinutukoy na lugar sa na-decipher naming tanong ay nandoon ang panibagong tanong. ’Cause the voice didn’t give any response when we tried to answer those places.

Wala din kasiguraduhan ang tanong. Parang walang konkretong sagot. We’re not sure if it’s talking about the former game or our game that we’re playing now. That’s why Ate Eresh want to take chance into talking with the former chess pieces. Which is Fourth’s father.

“We need to visit your dentist after this mission.” biglang sabi ni L na ang mga mata ay nasa laptop pa rin while I am busy eating my lollipop.

Tinigilan ko ang pagsipsip sa lollipop ko at tumingin sa kanya.

“Why?” I asked.

He looked at me. Boredom is in his eyes.

“Para hindi masira ang ngipin mo because of cavities.”

Natawa ako. “Ginawa mo naman akong bata.”

He rolled his eyes at me and sighed. Parang gustong magalit pero nagpapasensya o tinatamad lang sya.

“Bibisita tayo o pagbabawalan na kitang kumain ng lollipop. You choose.”

Napanguso ako. Here comes the strict L! Palagi nya na lang panakot sa akin ’yon! That he will not let me eat lollipop anymore if I don’t do what he wanted! And of course, I can’t work and live without lollipop kaya napapasunod nya ako!

Sya ang gawing kong lollipop dyan, eh!

In the end, I just agreed on what he wanted. Natapos na din kasi sa pag-aayos ang iba and they’re just getting their guns that they will use. Ang grupo lang nina Ate Eresh ang naka-ordinaryong damit ’cause they will face the Duke of York. They still need to respect him as he is a British royalty. Pero alam kong may kanya-kanya silang mga baril na nakatago sa ilalim ng mga damit nila.

I looked to my side when I felt someone’s staring at me. It was L. His eyebrows creased and he was looking at me like I’m some kind of a puzzle that he needs to solve.

Napakunot ang noo ko. “Bakit?”

He pointed at me, particularly at my hair.

“You won’t tie it up?”

Ah… Now that he mentioned it, I should tie my hair up. Humaba na din ang buhok ko at lagpas balikat ko na and I’m sure that it will just get in the way.

I took the ponytail off my wrist pero inunahan ako ni L at sya na ang kumuha noon. He motioned me to turn my back on him to which confused me. Isa ang araw na ’to sa mga panahon na tinatamad syang magsalita kaya basta nya na lang akong pinatalikod.

At first, I was confused. Hindi ko alam kung anong gagawin nya. But when I felt him touching my hair and collecting all of it to tie in a high ponytail, napangiti ako. My red curly hair is now tied up.

“Turn on your earpiece so I could check if there’s a problem.” sabi nya pagkatapos itali ang buhok ko.

Shit lang… I so love this man.

“I’m good.” said V, and L nodded at her.

“Plutus?” L asked.

“Good.”

“Eresh?”

“Hm.”

Napatingin si L kay Ate Eresh. Hindi yata masyadong narinig sa earpiece nya ang sinabi ni Ate dahil masyado iyong maikli. Ate Eresh rolled her eyes.

“I’m good.”

“Fourth?”

“All done.”

“Tracer.”

“Good.”

“Archer?”

“Kring! Kring! Wabawtyu?”

Hindi lang si L kundi kaming lahat ay napatingin sa kanya. He seems oblivious and continued on his stupid act.

“Kring! Kring! Ah yay yay! Putangina ng butterfly! Green, black and blue—”

“Tangina mo talaga, Archer.” Plutus said with so much irritation.

Napapikit pa sya sa inis at napatingala habang pinipisil ang pagitan ng mga kilay nya. Mukhang malapit na syang mawalan ng pasensya kay Archer. Pero si Archer ay natatawa lang sa gilid nya.

“Dinamay pa ang butterfly.” sabi ni Aius na natatawa naman.

“Aius, you’re good.” L interfered as he continued on checking our earpiece.

He did that for three times, making sure that there will be no problem with our communication. When he got satisfied, he explained something to us.

“The channels on the earpiece of each teams are different.” he said. “Meaning, ang mga ka-teammates nyo lang at ako ang maririnig nyo. I made it like that so you won’t get confused or unfocused with your tasks.”

We all nodded at that. Tatlong laptop na ang ginagamit ni L ngayon as he was the only tracker in this mission. And watching him using my pink laptop, he just looked so cute.

Nagbilin pa sya ng kung ano-ano sa amin bago nya kami pinakawalan. I stood up as the rest started to walk outside the hideout. I looked back to L. He only glanced at me once at hindi na naulit pagkatapos.

I guess… He’s doing it for himself. Dahil baka kapag natagalan sya sa pagtitig sa akin ay alam nyang pipigilan nya lang ako.

I sighed before following my team.

We all rode on a different vehicle for each team. I could feel the tension in the air as Aius drove our way to the condo where Angela died.

Pasimple akong napatingin sa kanya. I am sitting on the passenger’s seat and he’s on the driver seat.

I could see that he was just trying to keep himself calm. Pero napapansin ko ang bahagyang panginginig ng mga kamay nyang nakahawak sa steering wheel. He was tapping it without any beat just to hide his trembling hands from us.

I couldn’t imagine how he’s feeling right now. Pakiramdam ko ay ngayon lang ulit sya pupunta sa lugar na iyon matapos ang nangyari noon. That’s why he’s having a hard time to conceal his emotions now.

He parked the car on the basement parking lot of a condominium building. Pinatay na nya ang makina ng sasakyan pero hindi agad bumaba. He unbuttoned the third button of his longsleeve black shirt na parang nahihirapang huminga kahit na nabukas na naman ang unang dalawang butones noon kanina.

“Are you okay, Aius?” Kier asked on the backseat. Napansin nya rin ang pagiging tensyonado ni Aius.

Aius cleared his throat. Nakakuyom ang mga kamao nyang nakapatong sa steering wheel. He started sweating and I’m sure that it wasn’t because that we’re still inside the car.

“Yeah…” he whispered. It was so soft so he needs to clear his throat again. “Yeah, I’m good.”

Mabilis nyang binuksan ang pinto ng kotse sa banda nya. Nagkatinginan kami ni Kier. I know that we’re thinking the same. That Aius wouldn’t be able to take it if he took a step inside that condo unit.

But… he still needs to face this.

We rode the elevator. The ride was so quiet I could even hear my own heartbeat. Hindi namin magawang magsalita ni Kier. We know that Aius is having a hardtime.

Still, Aius was the one who did the groupings. Alam nyang mahihirapan syang balikan ang lugar kung saan nangyari ang bangungot nyang hinahabol sya mula pa noon. And he is brave enough to face his own nightmare.

I guess… he wanted to let go of the pain. He thinks that by doing this, he might be able to stop hurting.

Matagal syang nakatayo sa harap ng unit. We only have less than four hours now and I know that we should move quick to find the next question. Pero sa nakikita kong paghihirap sa mga mata ni Aius, hahayaan ko na lang sya sa gusto nyang mangyari.

He took a deep and slow breath before opening the door.

We were greeted with a small but nice unit. Halatang nililinisan pero wala namang nakatira. I don’t have an idea if he owned his unit. Or if he bought it only for Angela.

Matagal din bago sya nakahakbang papasok ng unit. Slowly, he took a step inside at naiwan kami ni Kier na nakatayo sa labas, watching how Auis roamed his eyes inside the unit. Dahan-dahan ang paghakbang nya na parang ayaw nyang may makarinig ng mga yapak nya.

He stopped at a certain spot. Doon sa kung nasaan nakikita rin ang kusina sa loob. He was looking at the kitchen. Hindi gumagalaw at parang napako na sa kinatayuan nya.

“Angela…” he breathes.

I heaved a deep breath and looked away from him. Kier did the same and in no time, we heard Aius deep and ragged breathing like he was having a hard time controlling his breathing.

My heart is aching for him. I remember those days when L hasn’t woken up yet. Sobra ang pag-aalala ko noon na halos ikamatay ko na. Iyon pa nga lang ay hindi ko na kayanin, what more with Aius’ situation?

I bet that what he feels right now is million times worse than to what I felt before. He’s been living his life knowing that the love of his life isn’t in this world anymore. That he wouldn’t be able to see her or hear her voice and laughter anymore.

He’s been living with only his memories of her.

Paano nya kinakaya ang sakit? Kasi ako? Baka ikinamatay ko na iyon.

“Come in.” we heard him said.

His voice broke with only those words. I looked at him and saw his bloodshot eyes that are full of hurt and pain. Hindi na nya naitago pa sa amin iyon sa sobrang sakit na nararamdaman nya.

“Start looking for something suspicious.” he said. “Sa kwarto na lang ako maghahanap. Kayo na dito.”

Hindi pa man kami nakakasagot ay tinalikuran nya na kami at pumasok sa isa sa mga kwarto doon.

I sighed. I guess he needs it. He needs to be alone.

Kier and I started to search for something. At dahil maliit lang ang unit ay hindi naman kami gaanong nahirapan sa paghahanap. But we didn’t see anything. We even tore the sheets of the sofa to look inside pero wala pa din.

I wish that I have a lollipop with me. I didn’t bring one since it’ll be a hindrance if something happen.

“May nakita ka?” Kier asked and I shook my head.

“Wala.”

“Alter…” I heard L’s voice on my earpiece.

“Yeah?”

“Can you please check on Aius?”

I easily understood what he wanted me to do. He’s worried about Aius. L was also here when that happened at alam nya ang sakit na pinagdaanan ni Aius.

I know Aius heard what he said but he didn’t say anything so I took it as he is giving me the permission to go inside the room to where he is. Iniwan ko muna si Kier sa may sala para puntahan si Aius.

I knocked on the door. It wasn’t locked so I opened it. Nakita kong nakatulala si Aius habang nakaupo sa gilid ng kama.

I stopped myself from entering the room and stared at him. His shoulders were slumped and his eyes were sad as he stared to nothingness. But I know that he was remembering those moments they had in this unit.

I could tell by jus looking at him in the eye.

Here is the King of EL Ordre. Looking so vulnerable and hurt.

But besides being the EL Ordre’s King, I forgot that he is a man as well.

A man who is capable of hurting.

Chapter 6

Aius didn’t seem to mind my presence so I took a step and walked further inside the room. Hindi man lang sya gumalaw sa pwesto nya. He continued staring to nothingness. His eyes were sad and in pain.

Tumigil ako sa gilid nya at pinagmasdan lang sya. Still, he remained unmoving. It was like he didn’t notice me or he didn’t care that I could see him like this. He looked so miserable.

I could tell that by being here, by being here to where that hellish nightmare of his happened triggered the emotions within him. He’s been keeping up for too long. Pretending to be okay. Pretending to laugh and joke around his friends. But the truth is, he is so broken inside.

I sighed and decided to sit beside him. Lumundo ang kama at nanatili pa rin syang nakatingin sa kawalan. Pero siguradong-sigurado na akong alam nyang nandito ako.

Maybe he just didn’t mind my presence.

“Thank you… for including me in your group.” I said. “Nagkagulo pa tuloy ’yung groupings dahil sa akin.”

Nakita ko ang bahagyang pagngiti nya pero may lungkot pa din sa mga mata nya. He looked at me with a smirk on his lips. But it was obvious that what he feels is so much different to what he wanted me to see.

“Groupings…” he chuckled. “What are we? Elementary kids?”

Napanguso ako. Nagpalit din kasi sina Viper at Kier. Instead na si Viper ang ka-grupo namin, ipinalit nya si Kier. He said that it will balance the group. I’m inexperienced in fighting as well as Viper kaya hindi kami pwedeng magsama lalo pa at King ang kasama namin. So he took Kier instead.

Natahimik kami pareho. I gave Aius the silence that he wanted. But he never asked me to leave so I stayed by his side. Isa pa, L asked me to check on him. He’s worried about his friend. Well, I am too. Ngayon ko lang nakitang ganito si Aius na halos hindi na makontrol ang emosyon nya.

He’s hurting. I know that. And I’m glad that he didn’t hide this side of him to me.

“That spot where I stood earlier…” he said. “Is the same spot… where Angela died inside my arms.”

I didn’t say anything. Base sa reaksyon nya kanina at sa pagtawag nya sa pangalan ni Angela na punong-puno ng sakit at emosyon, may ideya na ako simula pa kanina. That something really did happen there.

Thinking about how he feels when he stood there earlier, parang ayoko na lang isipin.

“It’s has been more than decade now.” Aius continued. “Pero hindi pa din nababawasan ang sakit.”

Nabasag ang boses nya. He tried to hide it by laughing softly pero kahit ang pagtawa nya ay halatang pilit at punong-puno ng sakit. Tumigil sya, as he knew that it will just make everything worse. Na kahit anong pilit nya ay hindi na nya maitatago ang sakit na nararamdaman nya ngayon. Especially now that he’s back to the place that he avoided for such a long time.

Kahit gaano man natin pilit na iwasan ang mga bangungot, pilit pa rin nito tayong hahabulin. And maybe, that’s the fate’s way of saying that we should face it, we should face our pain and nightmares for us to move on.

Tumingala sya at nilibot ng tingin ang kabuuan ng kwarto. His black eyes were sparkling because of unshed tears. His bad boy get up didn’t hide the pain in bis eyes.

“This place are so full of her memories.” bumaba ang tingin nya sa akin pagkatapos. “I coudn’t fully hate this place even if this is where all the shit happened. Kasi dito rin kami bumuo ng mga masasayang ala-ala namin ni Angela.”

“Aius…”

“And you know what? I keep on thinking that maybe if I didn’t love her, then maybe she will live. Maybe she’s still alive now. Ang pagmamahal ko ang pumatay sa kanya.”

“No, Auis—”

“If I didn’t love her, then maybe Ishtar would’t—”

“Auis.” I cut him off.

I know that he’s ranting out. And I’m honored that he’s pouring out his emotions to me and to L. He knows na naririnig din ni L at Kier ang mga sinasabi nya.

But I don’t want him to think tha he is right. Ayokong patapusin ang mga sinasabi nya. Ayokong makinig lang. ’Cause he will think that he is right. That what happened to Angela was his fault.

“Aius, wala kang kasalanan.” I said pero parang hindi sya nakikinig. HIs eyes were full of regret.

God… Sa mga nakalipas na taon, ganito ang nararamdaman nya. I couldn’t think what he feels for all those years. That it is his fault. At wala syang mapagsabihan noon.

“It’s because I am a weak King.” he said. “Hindi ko man lang sya naprotektahan.”

“No, Aius… You are strong.” I said. “You manage to be a rightful King despite of everything. I mean, the EL Ordre wouldn’t like what they are now if it weren’t for you. You build a family with your teammates in this death game. That’s why I didn’t hesitate to join your team.”

He was the one who divided the group. Alam nya ang lakas ng bawat isa at kung sino ang dapat na magkakasama para mas lumakas ang team. And he wouldn’t be able to do that if he wasn’t fit for the role as the King of EL Ordre.

“I am the King, yet I longed to have a normal life with her.” sabi ni Aius na parang hindi narinig ang sinabi ko. “If only I was responsible. If only if we didn’t meet. If only if I didn’t love her… Then she might still be alive.”

He looked at me. Nangingilid ang mga luha sa mga mata nya kaya pinipigilan nya ang pagtulo noon. His jaw was clenching from stopping the tears to fall from his eyes.

“Nagpakilala pa talaga ako sa ibang katauhan para lang manatili ako sa tabi nya. Lester Cervantes… Tangina!”

Tumawa sya. Nangilid na din ang mga luha ko sa paraan ng pagtawa nya. He’s in pain. Dinig na dinig ko ang sakit sa boses nya kahit pa tumatawa sya.

“Tangina! Kung hindi ko sya minahal, buhay pa sana sya ngayon!”

“It wasn’t your fault!” sabi kong tumulo na ang luha sa mga mata. “Aius, hindi mo kasalanan. Wala kang kasalanan. You didn’t wish for her to die. Hindi mo kagustuhan ang mga nangyari. You just loved her.”

Napatungo sya. Ang dalawang siko ay napatong sa mga tuhod nyang bahagyang nakabuka. I couldn’t see his face with this angle which is a good thing dahil feeling ko ay hindi ko kakayanin kung makikita ko pa kung gaano sya nasasaktan.

God… Just how broken he is?

I wonder how he feels now that most of his friends are now with the the woman they love and building a family with them. Samantalang sya, hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa rin nakaka-move on sa nangyari, mahigit sampung taon na ang lumipas.

“Aius, please…” I softly said. “You have beautiful memories with her. Huwag mong hayaang masira iyon.”

He heaved a deep breath. At nang pinakawalan nya iyon ay nalaman kong bumuhos na ang mga luha nya. He’s head was hung so low. He didn’t want me to see his crying face.

Napaiwas ako ng tingin sa kanya, hindi kayang makita ang kalagayan nya ngayon. I put a hand over my mouth to cover it and to hide my sobs as I silently cried. Hindi pa kami matagal na magkakilala. But I know that he is a good man.

The world is so unfair. Kung sino pa ang mabait ay sila pa ang mas nasasaktan ng ganito.

L and Kier aren’t saying anything pero alam kong alam din nila ang kalagayan ni Aius ngayon. That he is crying and we just let him be. May palagay akong ngayon lang ulit sya umiyak pagkatapos ng araw na iyon.

He needs it. He needs to let go of his emotions.

At habang katabi ko si Aius at naririnig ang mabibigat nyang paghinga, hindi ko maiwasan ang magalit sa ginawa ni Ishtar. Angela was innocent. She didn’t have any idea about the game. She didn’t know that AIus is King in this Bloody Human Chess game. Heck, she didn’t even know his real name.

Pero nagawa ni Ishtar na idamay sya sa laro. Nagawa nyang ipapatay si Angela just because Aius, the man that she loves, loves Angela.

How could she do that when all of her life, the EL Ordre protected her? They let her out of the danger and let her lived a normal life that we all longed for.

Bakit? Dahil ano? Nagseselos sya? Naiinggit? Kay Ate Eresh? Kay Angela?

She couldn’t see that she’s the lucky one as she was so busy counting the things that she didn’t have instead of counting what she has. She never got contented so now, she lost everything.

No matter what her reason is, it will never justify her actions. She wished someone died. A life has been lost because of her selfishness.

And now, the man that she loves has been suffering because of that.

“They said that you need to forgive the one who wronged you in order to move on.” Aius said after a while. Nanatili syang nakayuko at ang boses ay nanghihina. “But… is it okay if I can’t forgive her?”

Nag-angat sya ng tingin at ang mga mata ay deretsong tumingin sa akin. His eyes were bloodshot and so full of pain.

“Is it okay not to forgive her?” he asked. “Magiging masamang tao na ba ako kung hindi ko sya mapapatawad sa ginawa nya?”

He is talking about Ishtar.

I shook my head slowly. Trying to make him understand what I’m about to say even before I could speak.

“No one can blame you if you can’t forgive her. You were hurt. You feel betrayed. The one whom you treated as a family was the one who hurt you. Kaya mas masakit ang naidulot sayo noon.”

He pursed his lips and looked down again. He didn’t say anything so I continued.

“May kasabihan na kung ang Diyos nga nagpapatawad, tao pa kaya? And I say that it’s nonsense.” I said. “That’s the difference, Aius. Tao tayo at hindi Diyos. Kaya mas mahirap sa atin ang magpatawad especially if we’ve been hurt so much.”

Hindi sya nagsalita. Sinuklay nya ang buhok nya gamit ang mga daliri nya sa kamay. He licked his lips and his eyes remained on the floor.

“If you can’t forgive, it will not make you a bad person.” I continued. “There are cases that forgiveness is just so impossible. It won’t make you feel better. As forgiveness comes from within. It isn’t something that can be force.”

I tapped him on the back. Ang tela ng leather jacket nya ay magaspang sa palad ko.

“You don’t always need to follow the norms. Your heart is your own. Your decison is yours. Hindi mo kailangan pilitin na magpatawad dahil mas hindi ka makakamove-on kung ipipilit mo ang ayaw mong gawin.

He looked at me and I flashed him a gentle smile.

“You are a strong person and I know that you will find your own peace someday, Aius. I’m sure of that.”

Chapter 7

Aius didn’t say anything. Hinayaan ko lang sya. He needed time. He still needs time even after it has been a decade. Moving on isn’t really an easy thing that should be done quickly. One should take a baby steps in order to fully move on. Hindi dapat minamadali ang mga ganitong kahirap na bagay.

People will say na masyado nang matagal ang mahigit na sampung taon para kay Aius. But no. People have differennt ways in coping up, in moving on and in grieving. Kung para sa iba ay madali silang nakakamove-on, there are people that will take a long time for them to heal.

And time shouldn’t really be a problem in this. What important is that they are trying and willing to heal themselves. They are still willing to take a step forward and move on despite the pain that they’ve experienced.

And Aius is trying. By going in this condo unit, he wanted to face his nightmares that he avoided for so long.

“Hindi ko lang maintindihan…” he said after awhile of silence. “We gave Ishtar everything. Father treated her as her own daughter kaya itinuring ko rin syang bilang isang tunay na kapatid. She wasn’t deprive of anything. She made friends, had to live a normal life. The EL Ordre protected her and treated her like a Queen.”

I know… I know that part. Hindi ko man gaanong kilala si Ishtar but I know that part of her story. As it was one of the reasons why Ate Eresh got envious of her.

Their father loved Ishtar even if she’s a product of rape. Even if she was made out of sin, out of revenge. Still, the Red Faction’s former King loved Ishtar and treated kindly. Na hindi magawa ng ama nila kay Ate Eresh.

“She was surrounded by the people who loved her. I was even willing to give everything to her.” Aius said. “Isa lang naman ang hindi ko kayang ibigay. My heart. As Angela already owned it.”

He’s opening up. He’s telling us his thoughts. Thoughts that he kept to himself for so long. And I am glad that I have this honor to listen to his stories. It just means that he’s comfortable with me.

Nakatulong ang pagbabalik nya sa lugar na ’to para mailabas ang mga emosyong matagal nyang itinago. Ang mga sakit na ininda nyang mag-isa. It helped him to let out his feelings. At makakatulong ito na mapagaan ang pakiramdam nya. Hindi man maiaalis ang lahat ng sakit, but still, it will help lessen the pain.

“She hoped for the only thing that I couldn’t give.” he said. “I failed to give my heart to her. Kaya hindi ko maiwasang isipin na ako ang dahilan kung bakit… namatay si Angela.”

Umiling ako. He’s really blaming himself even if it’s clear that he wasn’t at fault. Hindi nya ginusto ang pagkamatay ni Angela. The only thing that he did is to love her. At walang mali doon.

But I guess that’s how he cope up with pain. He blamed and punished himself dahil ang paniniwala nya ay kasalanan nya ang nangyari kay Angela. And maybe… pumunta talaga sya dito para mas parusahan pa ang sarili nya.

“Aius, I know that you’re still in pain. You might feel like na parang kahapon lang nangyari ang lahat. Pero hindi mo kasalnan kung hindi mo man maibigay ang puso mo sa iba. As I’ve said, your heart is your own. Ikaw lang ang may karapatan kung kanino mo ibibigay ang pagmamahal mo. And you chose to give it to Angela.”

“If I didn’t, then she might still be—”

“Aius…” it was Kier. Mukhang hindi na nya nakayanan ang pakikinig lang nya. “Hindi mo kailangan sisihin ang sarili mo para sa kasalanan ng iba. It wasn’t your fault if Ishtar is a selfish one. It wasn’t your fault if she’s still ungrateful despite everything that you gave her.”

Si Kier ay nasa labas pa rin at pinagpatuloy ang paghahanap. And I’m sure that even if Aius is in his broken state now, alam kong nagawa nya nang suyudin ang kwartong ’to para maghanap ang kailangan naming mahanap.

He’s a responsible King. Kumpara sa pinaniniwalaan nya.

“To be honest…” Kier continued. “You didn’t owe anything to Ishtar para gawin at ibigay ang lahat sa kanya. Yes, she’s the EL Ordre’s Queen, pero sobra-sobra ang mga ibinigay mo sa kanya kahit hindi na naman kailangan. It is her problem if she didn’t get contented on the things that you gave her.”

“She got envious of Angela, pero hindi mo na kasalanan iyon.” it was L this time. “Ang tanging pagkakamali mo lang ay ibinigay mo ang lahat sa maling tao. You gave almost everything to someone who couldn’t appreciate it.”

“Huwag mong isipin na mali ang pagmamahal mo kay Angela.” I said. “I’m sure that it was the most wonderful thing that happened to you both. Huwag mong hayaang mawala ang pakiramdam na iyon.”

Aius looked at me. He looked like a child who is now lost and didn’t know what to do. Namumula ang mga mata nya dahil sa mga emosyon na nararamdaman nya ngayon. Emotions that he tried to hide for more than a decade now.

“I love her so much… I still love Angela so much…” he said with full of emotions. “Hindi ko na magagawang magmahal ng iba, Alter. Angela already took my heart with her.”

He gulped at nakita ko ang paghihirap nya na huwag umiyak. Umangat ang kamay ko at inilapat iyon sa pisngi nya. He seems so surprised with my actions but after awhile, his eyes softened. Naramdaman ko na lang ang pagtulo ng mga luha nya sa palad kong nakahawak sa pisngi nya.

Because he’s been pretending to be okay for so long, nobody comforted him. Or maybe, they were just waiting for him to open up. And seems like the warmth of my hand triggered those memories that he had with Angela.

“I’m contended with only the memories of her.” sabi nya sa basag na boses. “But it just hurts so much. Tangina, halos araw-araw akong pinapatay sa sakit.”

I bit my lower lip to stop my sobs when my tears fell down my cheeks. Watching him being like this, crying so much that he didn’t care about his status as a King hurts me so much. Pero naisip ko na kung nasasaktan na akong makita syang ganito, paano pa kaya ang nararamdaman nya?

He doesn’t deserve this. Angela didn’t deserve it. They both didn’t deserve what happened to them.

Nanginginig ang mga balikat ni Aius habang nakatungo at umiiyak. Nababasa ng mga luha nya ang palad kong nakalapat pa din sa pisngi nya. He needs warmth. Warmth from the people who wanted for him to be okay. Warmth from the people who’re supporting him.

At alam kong kahit ako lang ang nandito ngayon sa tabi nya, he knows that all of his friends and family in EL Ordre wanted to comfort him as well.

He’s been miserable for too long. He deserves to be happy. Even with just Angela’s memories.

I really think that nobody would ever replace her in his heart. Hindi na nya magagawa pang magmahal ng iba.

“I really wouldn’t be able to forgive Ishtar.” sabi nya. “Hindi ko kaya.”

“It’s okay, Aius.” I said. “It’s normal. Masyado kang nasaktan.”

Ang isang kamay ko ay tumatapik na sa balikat nya. I’m happy that he’s finally letting go of his emotions. Mababawasan na kahit papaano ang sakit sa dibdib nya. But I’m sad… Sad that he had to experience something like this.

“But you know… May isang tao kang kailangang patawarin.”

Napaangat sya ng tingin sa akin dahil sa sinabi ko. Pulang-pula ang mga mata nya sa pag-iyak. His eyelashes became wet but it just made his black eyes got emphasize. It was sparkling with tears.

Pinunasan ko ang mga luha nya gamit ang mga kamay ko. L already knew that Aius will be like this that’s why he asked me to check on him. Alam nya na hindi kakayanin ng kaibigan nya ang mga ala-alang nabuo sa condo unit na ’to.

 I flashed him a gentle smile.

“You need to forgive yourself, Aius.” I said. “Stop punishing yourself. Hindi ka minahal pabalik ni Angela para pahirapan lang ang sarili mo.”

“Forgive… myself.” he mumbled.

Tumango ako.

“Kung hindi mo kayang patawarin ang taong may kasalanan sayo, then at least forgive yourself.”

“How could I… do that?” he asked. Confused. Mukhang wala rin syang ideya tungkol dito.

“Stop blaming yourself.” I said. “Accept that it wasn’t your fault. Dahil hindi mo naman ginusto ang nangyari.”

Natahimik sya. Mukhang pinag-iisipan ang sinabi ko. And based on his looks, I could tell that he’s thinking that it was impossible.“

“You didn’t have to do it immediately.” I said. “It will come, Aius. Even if you take baby steps, it will come. As long as you are willing to forgive yourself.”

That’s what happened to me. Pakiramdam ko ay hindi ko mapapatawad ang sarili ko dahil sa mga ginawa ko noon. But L made me realize that I needed to own up to my mistake and forgive myself in order to move on and live a peaceful life.

And that is what Aius needs.

“I didn’t find anything.” sabi ni Kier. Alam kong kanina pa sya tapos sa paghahanap. PInatapos nya lang ang usapan namin ni AIus. “Kayo?”

I looked at AIus. Umiling sya.

“Wala din.” I answered.

“Shall we go back?” Kier asked.

Muli akong napatingin kay Aius. Tumingin din sya sa akin. I smiled and stood up before I looked back at him.

“Let’s go back?” tanong ko kay Aius.

Noong una ay nakatitig lang sya sa akin pero ang isip ay halatang wala sa akin. Then, he looked around the room, like memorizing every corner of it before he stood up and faced me.

He nodded and smiled at me.

“Let’s go back.”

Chapter 8

Eresh and I were at the backseat of the car while Plutus is driving and Fourth is on the passenger seat. We are on our way to meet Fourth’s father. It seems like they reserved the entire restaurant to where were going just for this meeting.

Well, of course. We’re just going to meet His Royal Highness, the Duke of York. A British royalty. Fourth is one as well but I’m so used with his presence. Ibang usapan na kapag ang ama nya.

He’s no longer a chess piece so I’m sure that the government were alerted with his visit here. Alam kong nagdagdag din sila ng sekuridad para sa kanya beside of his royal guards. Kapag may nangyaring masama sa kanya ay maaring maging dahilan iyon ng pagkasira between the United Kingdom and the Philippines.

Merda! I have no idea of what’s waiting for us. Actually, it is a good thing that this meeting is private and Fourth’s father will have many guards surrounding him. There were only few of original members of the Red Faction left and I’m sure that they will hire goons para dumami ang bilang nila. Sina Yucca at Shielder na lang kasi yata ang natititra who undergone intense training.

Yucca… I’m still not use of calling her by that name. But I know that I should. As Violet is only a fake person created by her to spy on us.

“You still haven’t told Kier about your condition?”

Napatingin ako sa tabi ko kung saan nakaupo si Eresh. Her arms were crossed in front of her chest. She was sitting with her back straight while looking at the window that made me think if she was actually talking to me or not. But she mentioned Kier kaya alam kong ako ang kinakausap nya.

Lumingon sya sa akin. Ang ulo lang ang gumalaw nang tinignan ako. She looked like an evil Queen that’s gonna give her judgement on me.

“Hindi nya pa rin alam?” she asked again. Nakita kong bumaba ang tingin nya sa tyan ko.

I quickly looked at the two men in front of us. They looked like they were concentrating on the road but I’m sure that their ears were listening on us.

Merda! Alam kong kahit hindi banggitin ni Eresh ang pagbubuntis ko ay magkakaideya na sila if this conversation continues!

“No.” was my only answer as I didn’t want to prolong this conversation.

But seems like Eresh thinks differently.

“That’s too bad…” she said and I don’t know if she’s actually mocking me or she’s sincere. “You should tell him, V. He has the right to know.”

Merda! I glanced to the boys and saw that their face remained stoic pero alam kong narinig nila ang sinabi ni Eresh. Heck, we are all inside the same damn car! Isa pang salita ni Eresh ay magkaka-ideya na sila sa pinag-uusapan namin.

I glared at Eresh but she just smiled sweetly at me. Oh, this girl… she’s clearly teasing me! Nakikita nya siguro ang pagpapanic sa mga mata ko!

But… she has a point. Death has the right to know about this. This our child. Our second child.

Pero tuwing naaalala ko ang nangyari noon, back when he pulled me out of my own mission because I was pregnant, I’m having a second thoughts. Sigurado akong uulitin nya ulit iyon. He will pull me out in this even if we’re now at the endgame and need help as much as we can.

Pero… gusto kong tumulong. I want to help the EL Ordre.

I glanced at Eresh. Tumigil na sya sa akin at tumingin na ulit sa labas ng bintana. But when she felt that I am looking at her, she looked back at me and raised her eyebrows. She smirked like she knew I am thinking hard about what she said.

Napatingin ako kay Fourth na nasa passenger seat.

I admire how he still let Eresh be in this game despite knowing about her pregnancy. Lalo pa ang nangyari noon sa gubat where Eresh and their child almost died. Nalagay na sa alanganin ang buhay ng mag-ina nya but he still chose to understand her. That Eresh needed this. She needs to finish this game to finally close those bad chapters of her life.

Fourth fully understands her. Bagay na bagay talaga sila sa isa’t-isa. He tamed the Mad Queen while she managed to make him show his true self. It’s like they were a match made in heaven.

That got me thinking… if Death and I were like that?

I quickly shook my head to stop that thoughts. Merda! This is our relationship. I shouldn’t compare it to others!

Maybe, I do need to talk to Death. I need to make him understand my situation too. That I wanted to help and finish this game.

We shouldn’t hope for our partners to just understands us without giving them our reasons or explanation. Hindi sila manghuhula. We need to open up ourselves to them if we want them to understands us. Communication is the best key in a relationship.

I swear… Kapag nakabalik na kami sa hideout, ipapaalam ko kay Death ang tungkol sa pagbubuntis ko.

We reached our destination. It was a private restaurant at wala halos na kahit anong establishments na katabi. It has a view of shallow river on the back of the restaurant at mga puno na ang kasunod noon. So the air that surrounding the place is fresh dahil sa mga puno. The view is like some schoolkids will draw as an example of a place full of trees.

Maraming mga nakabantay sa paligid, wearing a black coat and pants with white inner polo but because of the wire from their earpiece and their stance that’s so guarded, halatang-halata na mga bodyguards sila kahit na ganoon ang mga suot nila.

We saw Fourth’s father sitting on the table that was on the middle of the restaurant calmly eating his steak. Maluwag ang loob para sa limang taong mag-uusap-usap. The staffs were at the far end, just waiting for the Duke’s orders.

When he saw us, he sipped on his wine. Ang mga mata ay nakatingin sa amin habang umiinom. We stopped in front of him as he puts down the glass on the table.

“Alexander.” he greeted his son. Fourth smiled at him.

“Dad…”

“Your Highness.” Eresh curtsied and I did the same. He motioned us to sit at umupo kami sa harapan nya. Nasa gitna si Eresh, Fourth is on her right while I’m on the left. Plutus remained standing and choose to surveyed the place instead, checking if the guards missed something. His hands were inside the pockets of his pants as he walked and looked around the place.

Nagtawag ng server ang Duke at kahit na anong tanggi namin ay pinagpilitan nya na kumain kami. Saluhan daw namin sya. Eresh and I looked at each other and she just shrugged her shoulders.

“Dad, I apologize for this inconvenience that I’ve caused. I am willing to go back to London if only we have much time but—”

“It’s alright, Alexander.” the Duke cut him off. “I am fully aware of the situation that you are in. I’d like to give you any help that I can.”

“We are actually in the middle of answering a question to know where the Red Faction’s hideout is.” Fourth explained.

His father took the table napkin and wiped his mouth. Mukhang tinapos ang pagkain to give us his full attention.

“What question?” his father asked.

“Where does the Bloody Human Chess game started?”

Natahimik ang Duke. Now that Fourth gave the full question, mukhang lugar nga ang tamang sagot. It is not how or when. Where. At sa lugar na sagot ay nandoon ang panibagong tanong.

We just have to know the right place for the answer.

“The Bloody Human Chess game started as a friendly game.” sabi ng Duke na mukhang nag-iisip din.

“I know that.” Eresh intervened. Gusto ko syang pigilan at sabihing hayaan na lang ang Duke na magsalita but I forgot that this is Eresh.

She always does whatever she wanted.

“Some problem arise when the endgame was near, right?” Eresh asked. “The Red Faction was about to win the game when the EL Ordre cheated. The EL Ordre’s Pawn killed the Red Faction’s Rook resulting of ending the game with a draw. Then you, guys, were so irresponsible and passed down this game on us.”

I gasped. Merda! I just couldn’t believe that she has the guts to talk to the Duke in that way!

But the Duke didn’t seem offended. He even smiled and looked at his son proudly.

“You have such a good taste in a lady.” he said. Fourth smirked at him and I could see the resemblance of the two.

“’F course, Dad. She’s worth the love and pain as well.”

Nagtawanan pa ang dalawa. Eresh took a deep breath and crossed her arms over her chest. Sumandal sya sa upuan at pinagmasdan ang dalawa.

“You know, I would like to hear all your compliments for me as I deserve it but we don’t have all the time in the world. We have a time limit for this question.” Eresh said.

Merda! Such a brave and bold Queen!

“Ah… Yes. About the question.” the Duke said. “Yes, what you said was right. That’s when the game started to get bloody.”

The Duke looked at me. Napatingin ako sa kanya pero napansin ko na nakatingin na din sa akin sina Fourth and Eresh.

I sighed.

“My father said that he was just following the orders from above to kill the Rook. The Pawn doesn’t have the right to know about who are the higher pieces, right? He just followed their orders.”

“But Giles never made an order as that one.” the Duke said. “I know as I was his Bishop. He was always telling his plans to me.”

“Are you sure that he told you all of his plans?” Eresh asked. Nakataas pa ang isang kilay nya. “Maybe he didn’t tell you this one.”

“What would be his reason for not telling it to me?”

Eresh shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe he knew that you would stop him now that a life will be involved.”

“Giles isn’t like that. He’ll never kill anyone.”

“The EL Ordre is helping the Philippine government to do illegal things for them just for the people to say that they are a better administration. And that includes killing the ones doing illegal things without permission from them. So that statement of yours is a fucked up one.”

Kabang-kaba na ako dito habang pinapakinggan ang mga lumalabas na salita sa bibig ni Eresh. I am so sure that by anytime, the Duke will order the guards to execute her as she is so disrecpectful to the Duke. Pero kagaya ni Fourth, gaya ng mga EL Ordre, it seems like the Duke is used to this attitude of hers. Maybe Fourth gave him a heads up.

I heard Plutus laughed and I noticed him already standing behind Eresh while still looking around the place. His eyebrows furrowed. Nakaramdam din ako ng tensyon sa paligid and I knew that Eresh, Fourth and the Duke felt it too.

“Something’s wrong.” we heard L said on our earpiece. “Be on your guard.” he warned.

The servers went in the room and stopped in front of the table with a food trolley containing our orders. But before they could put the food on our table, I felt the hair on my nape stood up.

“Duck!” Plutus yelled.

Mabilis kaming yumuko at kasabay noon ay ang pagkabasag ng glass wall ng restaurant. We heard a groaned and my eyes widened nang makita ko na may tama ang Duke sa tagiliran.

“Dad!” Fourth yelled. Mabilis syang pumunta sa banda ng ama nya na halos gumapang na.

Pinaulanan ng bala ang loob ng restaurant nang mapansin siguro ang paggalaw ni Fourth. Plutus was covering Eresh with his body habang nakatago kami sa ilalim ng lamesa.

“Fuck!” Fourth cursed nang makita ang sugat ng ama nya na hindi matigil sa pagdudugo.

Itinumba nya ang lamesang malapit sa kanina and used it as a shield. Plutus did the same with the table with us. Some of the bodyguards were already dead on the floor.

I took out my gun. Nang tumigil ang pagpapaulan ng baril ay mabilis akong pumunta kung nasaan si Fourth pero muli kaming pinaulanan ng mga bala. Fourth noticed me at mukhang alam na nya kung bakit ako nandoon. Nagpalit kami ng gawain. I was the one now who’s pressing his father’s wound while he took out his gun, analyzing where the bullets were coming from to know the location of the enemies.

“Marami sila!” Plutus confirmed my thoughts.

“Fucking get off me.” reklamo ni Eresh dahil halos yakapin na sya ni Plutus para maprotektahan lang.

“You’re welcome.” he sarcastically said before he chuckled.

Pero natigil ang pagtawa na iyon when we saw a bomb without a pin na inihagis sa pagitan ng mga table na pinagtataguan namin.

“Fuck!” I heard Plutus groaned at binuhat si Eresh salungat sa direksyon na tinahak namin ni Fourth habang magkatulong kami sa pagbubuhat sa ama nya. It was understable dahil sa pagitan namin inihagis ang bomba.

The bomb went off and the impact almost threw us off. The ceiling of the restaurant gave in. Bumigay iyon na mas nagpalala sa distansya namin with Plutus and Eresh. Hindi na namin makita kung nasaan sila.

We got… seperated from them.

Chapter 9

Going out the restaurant was the best option for us as the whole place might collapse anytime soon. We knew that the enemies were outside but we don’t have enough choice. Especially now that the Duke is wounded.

We got separated from Plutus and Eresh as they went to the direction opposite from us. The way was blocked due the ceiling and post that collapsed inside the restaurant. Halos wala na din natirang mga bodyguards na nagbabantay para sa Duke. All of the bodyguards that I saw outside earlier were now dead.

The enemies finally stopped shooting us but we didn’t let our guard down. I know that they are waiting for us to go outside dahil halos magiba na ang restaurant, it will be dangerous for us to stay inside. And the Duke is loosing too much blood. He needs to get in the hospital as soon as possible.

I looked at Fourth. He looked so calm and compose as we carried his father on our shoulders. But I knew that he felt different inside. Alam kong nag-aalala sya para kay Eresh now that we got separated from them.

Nang makalabas kami ay muli kaming pinaulanan ng mga bala. We quickly hid on their blind spot as Fourth seems like he already knows the location of the enemies based on the trajectory of the bullets. Kaya alam nya kung saan hindi kami makikita ng mga kalaban.

“Bloody fucking hell…” Fourth cursed as he loaded his gun. Inilabas nya ang katawan nya at nagpaputok ng baril bago muling  nagtago.

The enemies tried to shoot back pero natago kami sa likod ng isang pader kaya nahaharangan noon ang mga bala. We’re safe here as long as the enemies will not move on their positions.

“Where’s your fiancee?” the Duke asked but he groaned when he strained his wounds. May palagay akong malapit na din syang mawalan ng malay.

Merda!

“We got separated from and Plutus.” Fourth answered.

“They are crossing the river.” we heard L said on our earpiece.

“What?”

“Maraming puno sa kabilang bahagi ng ilog.” L explained. “ I think they plan to hide to those trees.“

“Fuck it!” Fourth cursed. “Hindi pwede si Eresh doon! Maaalala nya ’yung nangyari sa kanya sa gubat!”

“I will be fine, Fourth…”

It was Eresh. Mahina at halos nagpuputol-putol ang linya nya. Maybe her earpiece got some damaged because of that explosion. But we’re still able to understand what she said.

Nakita ko ang pagbabago sa ekspresyon ni Fourth nang marinig ang boses nya. Worry is evident in his eyes. Nakita ko din ang bahagyang pagpa-panic sa mga mata nya na mabilis nyang pinigilan. He tried to be as calm as he could be as he knows that panicking wouldn’t do any good given with our situation.

I admire how he could control himself so well. His fiancee is pregnant and they got separated in this dangerous situation. Kung ibang tao lang iyon ay baka nagwala na sa sobrang pag-aalala.

Well… he got training for this as well. On how to control his emotions. Additionally, he likes to manipulate and control the people around him so controlling his own emotions is an easy work for him.

“Pupuntahan kita.” Fourth said.

“No.” Eresh said on the other line. “You need to get your father to the hospital. We will be fine, Fourth.”

Mas lumala ang connection nya ngayon. Halos hindi na maintindihan si Eresh dahil sa paputol-putol nyang linya. But we still manage somehow.

“Plutus.” Fourth called him pero si Eresh ang muling sumagot sa kabilang linya.

“His earpiece got damaged. He could hear you pero hindi nyo sya maririnig if he speaks.” she explained. “You don’t have to worry, Fourth. Let’s just see each other at the hideout.”

Hindi ko na talaga maintindihan ang sinasabi nya. I think the damage on her earpiece is getting worse as times goes by. Hindi na ako magtataka kung biglang mawala ang connection nya.

“Please take care, my Queen.” Fourth almost beg.

“I will, my King.” Eresh answered, almost only a static sound now. And take care of V. She’s pregnant. Kier will—“

Nawala si Eresh sa linya. Looks like her earpiece got finally broken. Nagkatingan kami ni Fourth. I’m sure that he still got Eresh’s last words.

Merda! Now, they really know about my secret.

I couldn’t blame Eresh. I know she just wanted for me and the child inside me to be safe as we have the same situation. We’re both pregnant. Besides, Death still didn’t know about my situation. Kapag may nangyaring masama nang hindi nya alam ang tungkol sa kalagayan ko, he might not be able to take it.

Fuck… I’ll really tell him about this when we go back to the hideout.

“Listen…” Fourth said after a while of awkward silence. “We need to get out of here. Help me carry my father, please.”

I looked at him, halos hindi makapaniwala sa hinihiling nya.

“Of course, Fourth. We’re a team. Kahit hindi mo sabihin, tutulungan kita.”

He smiled at me. Minsan ko lang syang makitang nagbibigay ng totoong ngiti sa iba. Madalas ay kay Eresh lang. Kaya hindi ko maiwasan ang mapatitig sa kanya sa tuwing ginagawa nya iyon.

He’s intimidating and a manipulator. Everytime he smiles, parang palagi syang may tinatago. Like he’s planning something that will bring your doom. Kaya nakakamangha kapag ngumingiti sya ng totoo.

“Thank you…” he said. He touched his earpiece. “L, is there any clear way for us?”

“There is.” L answered. “Sundan nyo lang ang pader na tinataguan nyo. Your enemies wouldn’t be able to see you and you’ll reach where the car is safely.”

We followed L’s instructions as he has the eye for the whole place. Magkatulong kami ni Fourth sa pagbubuhat sa ama nya na ngayon ay nawalan na ng malay so we had a hard time carrying him. But we still manage somehow. Fourth was guarding our rear and our front kaya alam kong mas hirap sya sa sitwasyon namin. Especially that Eresh is not with him. Alam kong sobra-sobra ang pag-aalala nya para kay Eresh but he still did what he needs to do.

We got into the car safely. Fourth rode on the driver seat while I was on the backseat with his father, trying to put a pressure on his wounds. Ang dami nang dugo sa katawan at damit ko. Anyone who’ll see me might think that I’m injured as well.

Merda! If Death will see me like this, alam kong mas lalo syang mag-aalala!

Mabilis kaming nakarating sa pinakamalapit na hospital. They immediately got entertained when the doctor and nurses recognized who they are. Fourth asked all the hospital personnel to keep this a secret and they all agreed.

Mabilis na ipinasok ang Duke sa operating room to remove the bullet in his body. I sat beside Fourth as we wait for the doctor to give us any news.

“L, give me an update as soon as Eresh goes back there.” Fourth said.

“Copy.”

Natahimik si Fourth. His face was dark and I know that he was thinking for something again. Napaisip din ako. The enemies knew where we were. Hindi naman nakapagtataka. Maybe they got alerted when they heard some news that the Duke of York is here in the Philippines. Mahirap itago ang presensya nya. Lalo pa ngayon na hindi na sya isang chess piece so the government is not trying to conceal about his movements anymore.

But still… we got outnumbered. Kahit pa hindi mga professional assassins ang mga namaril kanina, there were too many of them.

Kaya nga gusto kong tumulong. Kasi kulang na kulang ang sa kampo namin. I just hope that Death will still let me after he hears about my pregnancy.

“You haven’t told Death about it yet?” tanong ni Fourth at kahit hindi sya magsabi kung anong tinutukoy nya ay alam ko na iyon.

May dumaan na nurse na naka scrub suit sa harapan namin carrying a bags of blood at sinundan namin iyon ng tingin ni Fourth hanggang sa magsara ang pintuan ng operating room. Nakapatong ang dalawang siko ni Fourth sa mga tuhod nya at magkasiklop ang mga kamay. I could feel his tension that he’s trying to conceal.

“Hindi pa.” I said. “Wala pa akong pinagsasabihan pero nahalata ni Eresh.”

“Do you think Death doesn’t know about it though?” he said. Napatingin ako sa kanya. “If Eresh noticed, do you really think that Death, your husband, did not?”

Napayuko ako. Merda! I know that he has the right to know pero ang gusto ko ay yung ako ang magsasabi sa kanya. Ayokong malaman nya sa ibang paraan.

“Bakit hindi mo pa rin sinasabi sa kanya?” Fourth asked.

Tumunog ang intercom. Calling for some doctor’s attention at pinapapunta sa kung saan. Hinintay kong matapos iyon bago sagutin ang tanong ni Fourth.

“Remember that mission you gave me so I could vouch for his freedom?” I smiled at him. “He pulled me out of that mission when he learned my pregnancy.”

“Of course. He’s worried about you and the child.”

Huminga ako ng malalim at isinandal ang likod ko sa upuan. The metal creaked as I leaned ,my back on it.

“I know… Kaya nga sinunod ko sya noon. But Fourth, he might do it again.” I said. “We’re now at the endgame and I want to help the EL Ordre.”

Sumandal din sya sa upuan. Nilingon nya ang pintuan ng operating room na hanggang ngayon ay sarado pa rin. As time goes by, alam kong mas lalong lumalala ang pag-aalala nya para sa ama.

“Both you and Death, are out of the game.” he said. Ang mga mata ay nasa pintuan ng operating room. “You don’t actually need to help us. That’s why I am thankful that you still giving us your help.”

He looked at me. His sea-green eyes looked so dead tired. The worries for his father and Eresh are still there.

“But you need to talk to Death about this.” Fourth continued. “I’ve known him for so long. Alam kong may ideya na sya but he’s just waiting for you to say it. Kaya bago pa may mangyari, tell it to him, V.”

Natahimik ako. Fourth let me think in silence. Natatakot kasi ako na baka alisin nga ako ni Death sa laro. Baka hindi sya pumayag. Gusto kong tumulong. Ayoko silang pabayaan. Mas hindi ko kakayanin kung may mangyaring masama sa isa sa kanila, o kay Death, while I am just sitting and doing nothing.

“Eresh is pregnant as well…” I looked at my fingers and played with it. “How are you taking it? I mean, she was in danger before pero hinayaan mo pa rin sya sa laro.”

Ilang sandali syang natahimik bago ko narinig ang malalim nyang buntong-hininga.

“I really want her out in this game… But she needs this.” napatulala sya sa puting pader sa harapan nya. “This is already her problem even before I came into her life. Her insecurities, her nightmare. And I’m just here, giving her a support so she could finally fix herself.”

Napalingon sya sa akin.

“She needs this closure. At hindi ko sya pipigilan. ’Cause I know that she wanted to be happy in the future without any lingering feelings about her past.”

“I really admire how you love her unconditionally.” I said.

He smiled.

“’Cause she deserves it. And I promised to her that I’ll give her everything that she deserves. Even the world.”

“But you have your regrets.”

Napayuko sya at napangiti. I only based that conclusion by what I see on his eyes. May lungkot kasi sa mga mata nya habang sinasabi nya ang mga bagay na iyon.

“I came too late into her life.” he admitted. “Kung siguro ay naging maaga ako, hindi na sana sya nasaktan ng husto.”

I stared at him. Pagdating talaga kay Eresh ay nagiging malambot sya. While looking at him now, it makes me wonder if he was the same Fourth that I talked to with on my supposed-to-be wedding day with Gon.

Gone is the intimidating and manipulator Fourth.

“You know, if something bad happens with our love ones, we have the tendency to blame ourselves.” I said. “Kahit na hindi naman talaga natin kasalanan. Kahit na wala tayong magawa noong mga panahong iyon. Still, we are blaming ourselves.”

I looked at him. Fourth looked at me so I smiled at him.

“’Cause we know that they didn’t deserve what happened to them. We want something to do to stop what happened to them, but because we couldn’t, we just chose to blame ourselves. It is our love for them that’s doing that.”

I tapped Fourth on his back.

“We love them so much but there’s no need to blame ourselves. What we need to do is to help them overcome those things that happened to them.”

We sat there for hours until the doctor came out and gave us a good news. Nakita kong nabawasan ang pag-aalala sa mukha ni Fourth kaya napangiti ako.

And I’ve made up my mind.

I’ll tell Death about my pregnancy.

Chapter 10

I was silent the whole ride as Archer drove our way towards the old Sanford’s house. It’s been so long since I went back there. Hindi ko na matandaan ang pinakahuli. But the feeling, the feeling is still the same everytime I set my foot inside our old house.

How many years has it been? Matagal na. Pero parang kahapon lang nangyari ang lahat. I could still vividly see in my memories ang tagpong naabutan ko when I went back home from the business party that I attended that night.

My parents… Bathing with their own blood. Kitang-kita ko sa mga mukha nila ang galit at pagkatakot sa gumawa noon sa kanila.

I heaved a deep breath. Hindi kinakaya ang sakit sa tuwing naaalala ko ang tagpong iyon. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the pain of their death.

I thought that if I already found justice for them, everything will be okay. Pero mukhang mas lalo pang lumala ang lahat ngayon.

Sana pala, hindi na ako naghanap ng hustisya para sa kanila. Sana hindi na ako naghangad. Ngayon, nadamay pa ang kapatid ko.

He only wanted to help me get justice for our parents. He knows that it’s dangerous. Alam kong gusto nyang hilingin na tumigil na ako sa paghahanap ng hustisya para sa kanila as it will be dangerous for me. But he never said it out loud. He never stopped me from doing what I wanted. He knows that it was my way to cope up with the pain.

He’s the one who got affected the most about what happened that night. He heard everything. Lahat ng sinabi ng mga demenyong iyon, narinig nya. Pero hindi nya pinaalam sa akin. He never say anything about that. As he didn’t want to damage me more.

I am the older brother. I was the one who should protect him. Pero sya pa ang nagprotekta sa akin.

That’s why I understand his anger towards me. Tama sya. He did everything for me, everything for the EL Ordre. Pero anong isinukli namin sa kanya?

He became the bait. Pinabayaan ko sya. I focused on finding the murderer of our parents, to get justice and stop my own pain. I chased my goddess. As Artemis makes me feel like I’m a human. That I am not a monster for wanting a revenge. That what I’m doing is right.

Nakalimutan ko ang tungkol sa kapatid ko. That he also has his own pain and sufferings. And he needed me. He needed comfort. Pero pinabayaan ko syang harapin ang sakit at paghihirap nya ng mag-isa. When I should’ve been there for him.

I am his only family left. We should’ve faced our pain together as they were our parents. Pero pinabayaan ko sya.

I am the worst brother.

I don’t even have the right to blame Eresh for what she’d done as I am at fault as well. Eresh woke that side of him. Kung hindi pa nangyari ang lahat ng ’to. I wouldn’t realized Gray’s hidden grudge on me. Hindi ko mare-realize ang mga mali ko.

He’s been feeling like that for so long, trying to conceal it and let me do whatever I wanted. Wala akong kaala-alam na ako mismo ang nananakit sa kapatid ko.

Fuck it, Gray. I am so sorry. I hope you’ll forgive me.

“Carry on my mayward son for there’ll be peace when you are done. Lay your weary head to rest. Don’t you cry no more.”

I looked at Archer who’s driving the car while singing from the top of his lungs. Nakikita ko pa ang mga litid nya sa leeg na halos maputol na dahil sa pagsigaw nya. Pumipiyok pa nga.

I chuckled.

“Fucker. We’re not gonna die in an accident. Mamatay tayo dahil sa boses mo.” I said. 

He glanced at me with a face telling me that I offended him. I smirked that made him frown.

“Hoy! Gustong-gusto kaya ni Maria ang boses ko!” he said.

Nagpatuloy sya sa pagkanta. Or is he screaming? He was so out of tune as he almost shouts the lyrics of the song.

Made me wonder if they could hear us from the outside. Tangina, ang lakas kasi ng boses nya. Balak pa yatang basagin ang eardrums namin.

“Carry on my wayward son for there’ll be peace when you are done.” he even tapped the wheel to make a beat. Kahit yung beat nya wala sa tyempo.

Naalala ko si Viper na nasa likod lang ng sasakyan. I’m sure that he’s pissed off but he’s not saying anything. I remembered those times na basta-basta na lang syang makikiupo sa couch namin noon when we were at the bar. Then he’ll start saying bullshit things against Zuri. Then my friends and I as well will get confused as to why he was sitting with us.

That was a long time ago. Ang laki ng pinagbago nya. He knows now how to control his emotions.

“What’s with the song?” I asked Archer para lang matigil ang pagkanta nya. Tangina, nakakabingi, eh.

Why am I even friends with him?

“Sa Supernatural.” he answered. “Dami kasing nagsasabing kamukha ko daw si Jensen Ackles so I tried watching that series. And that’s the soundtrack.” he looked at me and winked.

Tangina. Nakakadiri ang gago.

He started singing again kaya pinabayan ko na kaysa makindatan na naman ako. He was more hyper than before. Halos magwala pa nga sa upuan nya. I’m not even worried that we’ll get into an accident dahil kilala ko sya. He’s a great driver.

Besides, I know why he’s doing this. He’s trying to make the air light for me. Alam nyang mahirap para sa akin na balikan ang bahay na iyon. He’s been with me, and he witnessed how much I suffered since that night.

I just smirked and looked at the window again.

We reached the Sanford’s old house after almost an hour of driving. Apat na oras na lang ang natitira sa amin para sa tanong na ’to.

I wonder how the others are doing? L will give us an update about them, kung may maunang makakuha ng panibagong tanong. But since we haven’t received any update from him yet, it just means that they haven’t found anything.

Does that mean that the answer in that question is the old Sanford house?

Ilang sandali kong tinitigan ang labas ng bahay. Most of my childhood memories happened in this house. Those times when we were still living as a happy and normal family. Noong mga panahong hindi pa nagsisimula ang laro namin.

That was such a great memory. Mom, like a normal housewife, was cooking for us and Dad was taking care of our family company that I am planning to merge with the Gallagher Empire soon. I know Gray doesn’t have any interest with it as he already put up his own bar na inaalagaan ni Apollo ngayon.

Mom was also reading us bedtime stories. About greek mythology kaya halos kabisado ko ang lahat ng mga gods and goddesses nila.

At kahit na noong mga bata pa kami ay hindi kami masyadong nag-aaway ni Gray. Masyado syang mabait. Masyadong masunurfin. This is the biggest and only conflict we’ve ever had.

And somehow, there’s a part of me feeling so relieve to know that he feels anger towards me. Na nalaman ko ang totoong nasa isip nya. I want Gray to tell me what he wanted to tell me. The things I did wrong.

Sometimes, conflicts in any relationship is good. As it will strengthen the bond for those people when they solve that conflict together. And they will know what is the right thing to do the next time.

Masyado kasi ako nakampante. Ang akala ko ay walang problema. Fuck it! I didn’t even know that my brother is already feeling that way!

I failed as his brother. Fuck! Ako pa naman ang mas matanda sa aming dalawa! Ako ang dapat na mag-aalaga sa kanya! But I was the one who hurt him the most!

We went inside the house and I was hit with nostalgia. I remembered those times I lived here with my family. Noong mga panahong kumpleto pa kami. Together with Nanay Flor.

It was perfect until that night happened.

Napatingin ako sa sahig kung saan ko nakita ang katawan ng mga magulang ko. Full of blood. My Mom hugging my father’s body. They were both dead.

“Tracer.” dinig kong tawag ni Archer sa likod ko. Lumingon ako sa kanya. Naninimbang ang ekspresyon nya kaya tinanguan ko na lang.

“Let’s start finding for that next fucking question.”

“Pwede namang kami na lang ang maghanap.” he said. Viper already start finding on one of the rooms pero heto itong gagong kaibigan ko na nag-aalala pa sa akin.

I appreciate it. He’s worried. Nasaksihan nya ang paghihirap ko noon so I understand why he’s acting like this.

“I’m okay, fucker.” I said. “Now, go and move that useless ass of yours.”

Napatingin sya sa likuran nya , sa ibabang bahagi, at sumimangot sa akin.

“My wife loves my ass, though.”

I couldn’t help but to chuckle.

“Fuck you, fucker.”

He grinned.

“Fuck you too, fucker.”

I went to the storage room where I found Gray that night. Iyon agad ang unang pinuntahan ko. I don’t know. It just made me think that if this house is really the answer, dito nila ilalagay ang kung anuman na hinahanap namin.

I unlocked the door and opened it. The room was dark and smells of molds but still clean. Hindi pinapabayaan ni Nanay Flor ang bahay na ’to. She said that this house has our memories together with my parents.

Hindi ko binuksan ang ilaw. This is how I found Gray that night. The room was dark and he was holding his teddy bear so tight that the head was almost ripped off from the body.

Fuck… I felt my chest tightening. My brother who was so young that time. He heard everything that night. The gunshots, everything that those devils said to our parents. At wala ako doon noong mga panahong takot na takot sya.

Then I abandoned him. I let him feel all those feelings alone. Ni hindi ko man lang naisip ang mga iyon. Sariling nararamdaman ko lang ang iniisip ko.

Damn it!

Binuksan ko ang ilaw at nakita ko kaagad ang pulang envelope that was on the floor. I knew it…

It just means that the answer is this house. This is where our Bloody Human Chess game started. As killing my parents was the first move of the Red Faction.

“L, I found it.” I said to L through my earpiece.

I walked further inside the room and picked up the enveloped. It was the same envelope that Eresh found at the Red Faction’s hideout.

“Agad? Nahanap mo na? Bilis, ah!” Archer said. “No sweat!”

“Bababa na ko dyan.” I heard Viper said.

I went out of the room without opening the envelope yet. I should open this with the presence of all EL Ordre’s members.

“Go back here immediately.” said L.

Nakita ko si Archer na papalapit na sa akin. Napakunot ang noo nya when he heard what L said.

“Bakit?” he asked, pressing a finger on his earpiece.

“Something happened with Fourth’s group.” L answered. Viper came to us s well. “They got attacked by the enemies.”

“Damn it!” I cursed. “Are they okay? How about Eresh?”

“Oo nga. Buntis pa naman ’yon.” Archer seconded.

“I have no update with them yet.” L said and he sounded frustrated as well. “ Basta bumalik na kayo dito kung nahanap nyo na. We don’t need any more damage than this.“

Napatingin ako sa envelope na hawak ko. So this is the next question, huh?

They are really playing with us.

I looked at Archer and Viper. They were both looking at me, waiting for my decision. I heaved a deep sigh and nodded.

“Let’s go back to the hideout.”

Chapter 11

Happiest birthday to Angel Loyza Denava! Pa-lumpiang shanghai ka po haha. 

Enjoy your day!

---

Sinalubong kaagad ako ni L the moment he saw me when we got back to the hideout. I haven’t even stepped inside the hideout yet when he walked towards me in a fast paced and pulled me into a hug. I felt the tension in his body left him the moment he felt my warmth.

I sighed and hugged him back. He must’ve been feel worst while waiting for me, for us to be back, hoping that we won’t have any scratch. He must’ve been so worried but he still did his job being the eye for the three groups at the same time.

And I’m so proud of him. Tatlong grupo kami na sabay-sabay umalis and L did a great job organizing things for us. 

“We didn’t find anything at the condo unit.” said Aius na nasa likuran ko na pala.

Bumitaw sa akin si L at hinarap si Aius. Kumunot ang noo nya and I was just staring at him kaya nakita ko ang mga pagbabago sa expression ng mukha nya. From being worried, to being relieved, to being confused. And he looked so bored now.

“Let’s get inside first.” sabi ni L. Na-realize nya siguro na hindi maganda kung sa pintuan kami mag-uusap-usap.

Sya kasi, eh. Di na nakapaghintay na makapasok ako. Bigla-bigla na lang nanunugod ng yakap.

We went inside and as I walk, I reached for the pocket of my tight black pants. Kinapa ko ang mga bulsa, looking for a lollipop pero wala akong nahanap. Tsaka ko lang naalala na hindi nga pala ako nagdala as I know that I wouldn’t have time to eat it if anything goes wrong.

L looked back at me nang makarating sya sa pwesto nya. Hindi muna sya umupo at tinitigan ako sa ginagawa ko. He sighed before he reached for the pocket of his pants and took out a lollipop from there. Napangiti ako nang binalatan nya iyon at ibinigay sa akin.

“Thank you.” I said while smiling sweetly at him and put the lollipop inside my mouth.

He made a small smile and sat down on the sofa. Tumabi ako sa kanya at halos dumikit na sa kanya.

I am willing to trade every lollipop in this world just for him. Kahit mawalan pa ng lollipop sa mundo, kung si L naman ang kapalit, ayos lang.

He is much, much better than a lollipop.

“We didn’t find anything.” ulit ni Aius sa sinabi nya kanina nang makaupo din sya. Kier just stood at the corner with his arms crossed over his chest while leaning on the wall.

“It’s alright.” L said. “Tracer found the next question.”

“Then the Sanford house is the answer?” asked Kier. Napatingin si L sa kanya at tumango.

“Seems like the word game in the question is about our game.” L explained. Napasulyap sya sa akin nang maingay akong sumipsip sa lollipop ko pero nagpatuloy pa rin namna sya sa pagsasalita. “The first move in this game was from the Red Faction. It was when they killed the former Rooks. So basically, doon nagsimula ang laro.”

“Pero paano ba nagsimula ang laro?” I asked.

Napaisip kasi ako. As to why we are playing this game. Why this kind of game even existed? Anong purpose? Para saan? Para lang ba paglaruan kami?

I haven’t did any deep thinking before. Ngayon lang. Ang importante lang kasi sa akin noon was to know about who my real father is. I decided to be in the game just for him. Just to know him more.

“Fourth’s father said that everything messed up when the EL Ordre’s former Pawn killed the Red Faction’s former Rook.” L said and I noticed Aius nodded.

“I know about that.” he said. “The Human Chess game started as a friendly game. Pero nang may namatay, doon nagkagulo. Eresh insisted that the EL Ordre cheated. Iyon ang tinutukoy nya.”

“It was V’s father who killed the Red Faction’s former Pawn.” sabi ni L na mukhang malalim ang iniisip.

“But V said that her father was only following the order from the higher ups.” si Kier na tahimik lang sa isang sulok at nakikinig. Pero nang mabanggit ang asawa ay nagsalita na.

“Kaya sinabi ng Duke na hindi kayang mag-utos ng ganoon ng former King.”

Napatingin kaming lahat kay Aius dahil sa sinabi ni L. Aius seems like he’s in deep thought as well. Kung ang ama nya nga ang nagbigay ng ganoong utos, it just means that everything messed up because of him.

But why would he kill the Red Faction’s former Rook though?

“My father wouldn’t do something like that.” Aius said. “He was so mad at me before when… an innocent got involved because of me. Galit sya nang may namatay nang dahil sa akin.”

He took a deep breath and leaned his back on the chair. Ang mga braso nya ay nakapatong sa armrest ng sofa nya. He closed his eyes tight while his brows were furrowed.

Hinayaan namin sya. He opened up to me just awhile ago. Kaya ang mabanggit na naman ang nangyari tungkol kay Angela ay mahirap para sa kanya. We all know that kaya hinayaan lang namin sya until he opened his eyes again.

“I’m not saying this because he’s my father.” his eyes looked so tired as he explained. “Or maybe I am. But I can assure you that he wouldn’t do any rash move like that. Hindi nya hahayaang magkagulo ang laro.”

“Maybe it’s the gamemaster?”

I just blurted that out. Ni hindi ko nga pinag-isipang mabuti. I was just happily eating my lollipop here while listening to them when that thought suddenly crossed my mind and I said it out loud without any valid proofs.

Pero nakita ko ang pagkakatigil nilang tatlo. Like I just dropped the bomb in front of them. That’s when I realized how much impact my words did.

I’m not good in making plans. It was always Ate Eresh who’s doing it for the Red Faction. I’m only good with computers and codes.

Shit. Kaya ayokong nag-iisip, eh.

“Joke lang.” sabi ko. Baka kasi tanungin pa nila ako kung bakit ko nasabi iyon pero wala akong maibigay.

“No, no…” pigil ni AIus sa sasabihin ko. “Maybe you’re right.” he looked at L. “Diba isa lang ang gamemaster? What if he purposely wanted this game to be so messed up? Paano kung gusto nyang magpatayan talaga ang lahat?”

“But why though?” Kier asked.

“That’s the real question.” nakakunot ang noong sbai ni Aius. “Why? And why did he even started this game?”

We all fell in silent. It was so quiet that only the sounds on how I eat my lollipop could hear in the entire meeting room.

Nakita ko na mariing napapikit si L kaya hininaan ko ang pagsipsip sa lollipop ko. He looked so frustrated though as time goes by that he hears me sucking on the lollipop. Hindi ko tuloy alam kung matatawa ako o maaawa sa kanya.

Ilang sandali ay dumating ang grupo ni Tracer. I saw him holding a red envelope but I couldn’t ask about it when I saw the expressions on their faces.

“What happened?” tanong agad ni Viper nang makalapit.

“Fourth’s group were attacked.” L answered. Gulat kasi kaming napatingin sa kanya.

“What?” hindi makapaniwalang tanong ni Aius na napaalis pa sa pagkakasandal sa sofa. “What happened? How are they?”

“How’s V?” Kier asked. I could hear the worry in his voice. Napatayo pa sya ng deretso.

“How’s Ate Eresh?” nag-aalala kong tanong.

She’s pregnant! Hindi na nga dapat pa syang sumali dito as this is dangerous but Fourth still let her. I could understand the reason but I couldn’t help but to be worried for her and the baby!

“The Duke got shot pero dinala na sya ni Fourth sa hospital. V is okay and she’s with Fourth.” L sighed. “As for Eresh and Plutus, They got separated from them.”

Oh my God! Mas lalong dumoble ang kaba ko! Kampante ako na kasama nya si Fourth, I know that he will do everything just to protect her and their child. Pero napahiwalay sila ngayon!

Oh no… I hope they will be okay!

“Pinaulanan ng bala ang restaurant kung nasaan sila.” kwento ni L. “Plutus and Eresh went inside the forest-like at the back of the restaurant. Maraming puno doon kaya makakapagtago sila.”

“How many enemies were there?” Tracer asked.

“I didn’t know. But if I’ll estimate, I’ll say there were about ten.”

“Paano kung sinundan ng mga iyon sina Plutus sa gubat?”

Hindi na ako makahinga dahil sa tanong na iyon ni Viper. Shit! Naiiyak na ko sa sobrang pag-aalala.

Back then. Back then when I was with Enki and we parted ways with her and Tracer just so they could save me, grabe na ang pag-aalala ko. Paano pa kaya ngayon na alam kong buntis sya!

“I’m sure that Plutus will take care of her.” Tracer said. “Like Fourth, he’ll do everything to protect her.”

“That guy obviously likes her. Pussy whipped.” nakangising sabi ni Aius. Archer chuckled.

“Nahalata mo din pala? Akala ko ako lang.”

“He’s not trying to keep it a secret though.”

Napanguso na lang ako sa sinabi ni L. He looked so bored but I heard the fun in his voice. Parang natutuwa sa pagkakagusto ni Plutus kay Ate Eresh.

“Tingin nyo nakahalata si Fourth?” Archer asked.

“Fucker. That guy is a genius. Baka nga mas nauna nya pang nahalata kaysa sa’tin.” Aius said.

“Should we help them?” Viper asked.

“Nah.” hinarap ni L ang laptop nya sa kanila. “They’re on their way back here. As well as Fourth and V.”

They all looked at the red blinking dots on the screen indicating the location of the rest. Gumagalaw iyon papalapit sa hideout namin.

“What should we do about this?” itinaas ni Tracer ang red envelope na hawak nya.

Nagkatinginan kaming lahat. That red envelope. Inside it will be another question that we need to answer. I just hope that it will be easy this time. Ayoko na ng ganito.

Shit! Kung hindi lang talaga kami mahihirapan at matatagalan sa paghahanap ng hideout ng Red Faction, hindi namin hahayan na mapaglaruan na naman kami ng ganito.

King Lancer is the best among us when it comes to hacking. It might took us months, or even years to defeat the firewall that he built and locate them.

Napatingin kaming lahat kay Aius, giving him the right to decide on what we should do.

He sighed and stared at us.

“Let’s wait for the others first before we proceed to the next fucking question.”

Chapter 12

My eyes immediately landed to Death when I walked inside the hideout. He was standing while leaning on the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. It was obvious that he was waiting for someone, for me, dahil ang pwesto nya ay makikita kaagad kung sino ang paparating.

His mismatched eyes found mine. He sighed na para bang nakahinga sya nang maluwag. Kinalas nya ang pagkakahalukipkip ng mga braso nya at tumayo ng deretso. I stared at him first, memorizing the look of relief in his eyes before I sighed and walked towards him.

Hindi pa ako nakakalapit ay nakadipa na agad ang mga braso nya para sa akin. I couldn’t help but to smile as I wrapped my arms around his waist while he enveloped me in a hug. His warmth spreads throughout my body until it reached my heart.

I inhaled his scent. The kind of scent I will never get tired to smell. It was manly that makes me feel so secure whenever I can smell it as he wraps his arms around me like this.

It hasn’t been twenty fours hours yet, but I already missed him.

Merda! Parang ayoko pa ngang bumitaw sa kanya!

“Are you okay?” he asked. Hindi nya rin naman ako binibitiwan kaya hindi ako lumayo sa kanya.

I nodded and tighten my hug on him. “Hm.”

He sighed. Hinigpitan nya din ang pagkakayakap sa akin and I just smiled as I couldn’t help it. It’s obvious that he got worried about me. Habang ginagawa nya ang sariling misyon ay nag-aalala sya para sa akin. I know ’cause I felt that way too. Hindi ako makapag-concentrate kanina dahil nag-aalala rin ako para sa kanya.

I kept on thinking, as Fourth and I carries his father on our shoulders, unconcious and full of blood. Iniisip ko na paano kung ganoon rin ang nangyari sa grupo nila? What if someone attacked them as well? There’s no way to communicate with them as we left all our phones at ang earpiece lamang ang komunikasyon namin. But L was the only one who got access to all of the groups.

Kaninang nakita ko sya habang papasok ako sa hideout, I felt relieve as well. I am so glad that nothing bad happened to him. No scratches at all.

I am so thankful that I was given another chance to be with him again. Every minute for us is dangerous. Hindi namin alam kung kailan susugod ang mga kalaban, or if we can really win this game. Kaya ngayong binigyan pa ako ng isa pang pagkakataon para makama si Death, I will surely treasure every moment with him. And give him everything he deserves.

“Death…”

Bahagya akong lumayo sa kanya para makita ang mukha nya. I looked up to him as he is taller than me. His mismatched eyes looked down at me.

“I have something to tell you.” I said. “Can we talk later?”

Later, dahil alam kong hangga’t hindi pa nakakabalik sina Eresh at Plutus ay hindi kami makakampanteng lahat. We are all worried about them, especially to Eresh dahil dalawang buhay ang katumbas nya.

“Alright.” sagot ni Death na titig na titig sa akin. I stared back at him, trying to read what’s on his mind.

Fourth said na kung nahalata ni Eresh, Death might’ve as well. Especially that he’s the father.

Merda! I also read some articles saying na kung minsan pa nga ay ang mga lalaki ang unang nakakaalam kung buntis na ang asawa or partner nila even before the girl could knew about it. So I think I really should tell Death about it as soon as possible.

“Any news about Eresh?” dinig kong tanong ni Fourth. Napahiwalay ako kay Death at lumingon na sa mga kasama ko.

Fourth took a seat. He looked so serious as he waited for L to answer his question. Alam kong sobra na syang nag-aalala sa bawat minutong lumilipas na hindi nya kasama si Eresh. I know, kasi ganoon din naman ng naramdaman ko kay Death.

Itinuro ni L ang laptop nyang nakaharap sa banda namin at nakatalikod sa kanya.

“That one blinking red dot is from Plutus.” L explained. “They’re on their way here.”

Tumitig kami doon at nakita ang sinasabi nya. There’s a map and a blinking red dot on the screen. But there’s a problem. Mukhang hindi iyon nahalata ni L dahil nakatalikod ang laptop sa kanya. Alter beside him frowned as she stares at her own laptop.

“It’s not moving.” isinatinig nya ang problemang napansin din namin.

“What?” L asked. He frowned as well.

“Plutus’ tracker. It’s not moving.”

Itinuro pa ni Alter and screen ng laptop nya but L took his laptop kaya nawala ang tingin namin doon. His frown deepened na mas lalong nagpakaba kay Fourth. He heaved a deep sigh to calm himself.

And as I looked at him, I realized that most of men tend to hide their emotions. Minsan lang sila umiyak kahit sobra na silang nasasaktan. For them, it will make them look less of a man.

But I disagree. They are human. And it’s a human instinct to cry if they’re hurt or if they feel too much hapiness. Walang masama sa pag-iyak. Hindi iyon nakakabawas sa pagkalalaki. It will not make them look weak.

It is normal to cry. We’re human. We feel hurt. What not normal is to not cry, to not shed any tears.

Maybe, Fourth is like that as he belonged to the royal family. They’re role models. He needs to look strong in the eyes of the public. Para hindi nila maisip na mahina ang mga taong namumuno sa bansa nila.

I somehow felt sorry for him.

But we’re different. We’re not his people. We are the EL Ordre. Hinding-hindi namin iisipin na mahina sya.

“Fuck.” I heard L cursed. “Plutus! Can you hear me?”

“He can’t answer you.” I said. “Diba nga nasira daw ang earpiece nya sabi ni Eresh.”

L looked at me. “Yeah, but he can still hear me.” He pressed a finger on his earpiece. “Plutus! Damn you, if you can hear me, if you’re on the way back here, can you call us using a fucking payphone so we could know if you’re okay?”

I sighed and pressed a finger on my earpiece as well.

“Fourth is worried, Plutus.”

“Sabihin mo hindi na din matae si Fourth dito.”

I looked at Archer helplessly because of his statement. Merda! We are on a serious situation pero bigla magsasalita sya ng ganoon!

Bakit ba naging kamukha nya pa si Dean Winschester? Sinisira nya lang ang image ni Dean sa utak ko!

It’s a good thing that they have a different eye color. He has a hazel brown eyes while Jensen Ackles has green eyes. At least masasabi kong hindi talaga sya si Dean!

“Shut up, fucker.” saway ni Aius sa kanya.

“Plutus, call us! I’ll give you five minutes and after that, we’re gonna go to your location I am seeing here in my tracker.” L said.

“No need.”

Napatingin kaming lahat sa may pintuan nang may magsalita. It was Plutus and beside him is Eresh. They both looked so fine kaya nakahinga kami nang maluwag.

L looked at his laptop then back to Plutus. He frowned.

“Your tracker shows that you’re on a different location.” takang-taka na sabi ni L.

Natawa ako. I mean, L always has this bored look on his face at ang makita syang ganito ay kakaiba sa paningin ko.

“Ah. The earpiece has a tracker, right? I threw it away as it’s already broken.” Plutus said like it’s a normal thing.

Merda! We almost panicked in here! Magpapadala na nga sana si L ng search and rescue for them in five minutes pero parang wala lang kay Plutus ang lahat!

“It’s not broken yet. Nakikita ko pa ang location nyo qito unlike kay Eresh na nawala na din nang masira ang earpiece nya.” inis na sabi ni L. Alter held his hand to calm him down.

“How would I know it’s not broken yet and you could still track me with that?” Plutus asked. Naglabas pa sya ng vape nya and he puffed a smoke that’s why the air was filled with Vanilla scent.

Inis na hinawi ni Eresh ang vapor na pumunta sa banda nya. She glared at Plutus who smirked at her and he looked like he’s enjoying the attention that the Mad Queen is giving him. Eresh rolled her eyes at him.

“I told you.” she said. “He is a stupid asshole.”

Plutus chuckled and puffed on his vape again. “And this stupid asshole just saved you. I can accept a simple kiss as a thanks.”

“Fuck you.” Eresh spat at him and Plutus chuckled again.

He was about to say something when Fourth stood up and walked towards them. He snaked an arm around Eresh’s waist and looked at Plutus.

“Thank you for protecting my Queen.” he said.

Plutus stared at Fourth. Nawala ang ngisi sa mga labi nya na kanina lang ay nandoon habnag kausap nya si Eresh. He’s now looking seriously at Fourth.

“You are aware that I’ll do everything just to protect her, right?”

Fourth smirked at him menacingly. That menacing smirk that he always gives us whenever he’s planning for something.

“Of course. But you don’t need to do that. I can protect my Queen.”

Plutus chuckled. “Sure, you can. But I think I have to remind you that it was me who protected her this time.”

Tahimik lang kaming nakikinig sa mga pasaring ng dalawa. The tension between them is so obvious that it’s getting scary. Natatakot akong baka bigla na lang magsuntukan ang dalawa.

But seems like Eresh didn’t.

She laughed. She laughed so hard and it sounded so evil. Naalala ko tuloy noong mga panahong sya pa ang Queen ng Red Faction. She still has that aura around her. At feeling ko ay hindi na iyon mawawala.

“Oh, please.” she said as she wiped the tears at the corner of her eyes. “Is this some kind of comedy skit that you practiced? Nakakatawa kasi.”

Fourth looked at her. Ilang sandali syang tumitig bago ngumiti at tumawa. Plutus laughed with him and I was so confused with what’s happening. Lalo na noong tinapik ni Fourth sa balikat si Plutus.

“Thanks again, I’d like to show you my gratitude some other time.”

Plutus smirked at him. “Alright. Looking forward to that.”

I frowned. What was just happened?

Natawa si Death nang makita ang reaksyon ko. I looked at him, trying to ask about it with just a look in my eyes. He just shook his head and held me on the small of my back.

“It’s a boys thing.” he simply said.

Chapter 13

Death lead me to one of the sofa and made me seat there. He sat on the armrest as he wrap his arms around my shoulders to pull me towards him. Iniyakap ko naman ang mga braso ko sa bewang nya.

I looked at Eresh and I saw her looking so satisfied with the reaction of the two men that almost fought because of her. She’s a real beauty. Hindi ko ikakaila iyon. Anyone who will see her will say that she’s beautiful. No one would dare say that she’s ugly as it is lie. The Mad Queen is gorgeous as hell.

Kaya hindi na nakapagtataka as to why Plutus developed feelings for her. Despite of what she’d done in the past, pinahanga nya pa kami sa pagbabago nya. She proved to us that she really deserves to be called as a Queen. She’s brave and strong. And that her mistake doesn’t define her.

I almost laughed when I remembered that we fought before. Merda! I felt so guilty that I judged her too quickly when it was the first time that I saw her that day. I only heard stories about her and never her side yet I had the audacity to hurt her and blamed her for everything.

I just couldn’t control my anger back then. I mean, I’ve been with Tracer almost every mission. Nakita ko ang determinasyon na na mahanap ang pumatay sa mga magulang nila. I saw how hurt he was even if so many years had passed since then. At nasasaktan din ako para sa kanya, especially when he chose to stay away from Artemis just to keep her safe.

Still, what I did is wrong. Eresh is the best example that I shouldn’t judge a person too quickly. That I should hear them first and try to understand them.

And Liam Ortega… He didn’t deserve to die. He was just a victim, like us, yet I misunderstood him. Pero kung hindi ko ginawa iyon, kami ng anak ko na nasa sinapupunan ko pa noon ang mapapahamak dahil sa kanya.

But… I felt sorry for him. He lived his life with anger towards my father. He lived thinking that he would get his revenge by killing me. Dahil pinatay ng ama ko ang mga magulang niya. His parents and the whole of their manor. And while growing up, he promised that he will get his revenge.

His life was already ruined by then. It was ruined more when he joined the Red Faction.

We are all a victim. That’s why this game must be stop.

“I’ll open it now.” sabi ni Tracer nang makaupo na si Eresh at Loki. Plutus just stood on the side, puffing on his vape. Sya ang pumalit sa pwesto ni Death kanina.

We were all looking at Tracer, waiting for him to open that red envelope kung saan nakalagay ang next question na kailangan naming sagutin.

I know that I should ask my father about the mission that he did when he was given the order to kill Liam’s parents. And I will. As he holds the most important answer in this stupid game. But the top priority of our group is to find the Red Faction’s hideout and to get Shielder back. Kailangan din namin sya maibalik sa dati, back to his old self before he got brainwashed.

Eresh said that there’s no antidote for him. Matatagalan kung gagawa. It might take so many months or even years as that drug that they used on him is so rare.

The only chance we’ve got is to make Shielder listen to his brother. Eresh said that he already triggered the Gray back in him. At dahil si Tracer ang mas nakakakilala sa kapatid nya, he should be the one to talk to him.

Tracer finally removed the envelope from being sealed. He opened it and took the small paper inside. It was so small that it doesn’t need an envelope that is big like that. Tingin ko ay nilagay lang iyon doon so it can be easily recognized dahil kapareho iyon ng nakuha ni Eresh sa Red Faction’s hideout.

The paper was even folded in a half kaya mas lalo pang lumiit. The tension in the air is so obvious as we watched Tracer unfolded it. Nakita ko ang paggalaw ng mga mata nya nang basahin nya ang laman noon pati na rin ang pagsasalubong ng dalawang mga kilay nya.

“Anong nakalagay?” tanong ni Archer nang mga ilang sandaling nakatitig lang doon si Tracer na may nagtatakang mga mata.

Tracer looked up at Archer. He turned his gaze to all of us, one by one. Ang pagtataka ay nasa mga mata pa rin nya.

“Contact number ba? Gusto kang maging textmate?”

Maingay akong napabuntong-hininga. Merda! Hindi ko alam kung masasanay pa ba ako sa mga ganitong pasaring ni Archer!

I saw Eresh rolled her eyes. “Can’t you be serious even for once?”

Archer grinned at her but there’s something in his eyes. It was not playful like it always has. Seryoso ang mga mata nya ngayon kahit pa nakangiti sya.

“I can be serious too, Eresh. But I chose not to dahil lahat kayo ay seryoso at ayokong makadagdag sa tensyon. I need to lighten up the mood to make you remember that we still have greater things even if we’re in this shit.”

We all know that. He can be as serious as Plutus too, or even like Fourth. Alam ko nga ay seryoso sya pagdating sa asawa nya. Minsan ay mapagbiro pero madalas ay seryoso as he is older than her and he needs to act mature.

Pero mas pinili nya ang maging palabiro at magmukhang tanga para sa grupo. ’Cause we are always serious in this. And he really could lift up the tension in the air at times.

Pero…

“I know that, of course.” Eresh said. Her eyebrow shot up while looking at Archer. “Pero nilulugar din kasi ’yan.”

Iyon na nga. She’s right as well! Hindi din kasi marunong ilugar ni Archer ang pagbibiro nya! I even feel like he will tell a joke even if we’re all in a brink of death!

Archer chuckled. “Pahingi munang lumpia.”

Eresh rolled her eyes and groaned. Halatang malapit nang mawalan ng pasensya kay Archer pero nagtitimpi pa rin. I saw the ghost smile from Fourth’s lips as he pulled her for a hug and kissed her temple na parang pinapakalma sya.

I looked at Death and saw him staring at me. Nagulat ako doon. I thought that he was paying attention in front of us pero mukhang inaabangan nya ang bawat reaksyon ko. I bet he’s trying to read what I want us to talk about.

I’m scared of what his reaction will be but I need to tell him the truth.

“Anong nakalagay sa papel?”

Dahil sa tanong na iyon mula kay Aius ay muli akong napabaling kay Tracer. I saw him sighed and showed us the paper while holding it up.

“Rest. I will contact you again.” he said. At sa tingin ko ay iyon ang nakalagay sa papel kahit hindi ko makita dahil malayo ang pagitan naming dalawa and the paper and writings are too small for me to see.

“Huh? Iyon lang?” tanong ni Kuya Vander at nakikita ko ang inis sa mga mata nya.

“Tangina. We all took that question seriously tapos iyan lang ang makukuha natin?” Kylo said as he puffed his vape. “Pinaglalaruan talaga tayo, amputa.”

“Ngayon mo lang napansin?”

Nakita ko na nawala kaagad ang pagkainis sa mukha ni Kylo at napalitan iyon ng ngisi nang marinig ang sinabi ni Eresh. He chuckled and his voice sounds so hoarse and low as he did that. Parang inaakit si Eresh o ano.

Merda! Harap-harapan talaga?

“But I think we really need it.” pagsingit ni Tracer bago pa bumalik ang tensyon sa tatlo. “We need to rest. Wala pa tayong pahinga.”

“I agree on that pero I still have my suspicion over that voice.” Alter said and we all agreed on that.

“We will continue to track the Red Faction’s location instead of waiting for that voice to contact us again.” I heard L’s lazy voice. “You can all rest. Alam kong napagod kayo.”

“You need to rest din, L.” Alter worried voice made L smiled a bit.

“Halos isang buwan akong tulog, Codee.”

Alter pouted but she just nodded her head in the end. Napagkasunduan namin na magpahinga na muna as we wait for all for some progress. Hindi maipagkakaila ang pagod naming lahat.

But… I still need to talk with Death.

Kaya naman nang mapagsolo kami sa kwarto ay hindi na ako nag-aksaya pa ng oras. I promised to myself that I’ll tell him the truth. I’ll let him know my thoughts.

Hindi ko napigilan ang paglalakbay ng mga mata ko sa katawan ni Death pagkalabas nya ng banyo after he took a bath. His hair was damp at may nakasabit na twalya doon na ginagamit nya habang pinupunasan ang buhok nya. He was topless so I saw his ripped body and I remember the first day that I saw him when he opened the door for me.

Ganitong-ganito sya noon. Nakapantalon lang at walang suot na damit pang-itaas. Na-distract pa nga ako noon at imbes na awayin sya dahil sa ingay ng pagtugtog nila ay napahingi na lang ako ng kape!

Merda! That was the most embarrassing moment of my life!

Umupo sya sa kama sa tabi ko at pinilit kong tumingin sa mga mata nya.

“Can we talk?” tanong ko.

He looked at me. His mismatched eyes were like reading my thoughts but he still nodded . Halatang gusto nyang marinig sa bibig ko ang mga sasabihin ko.

I took a deep breath and looked at him straight in the eye.

“I’m pregnant.” I finally said.

Nakatingin ako sa mga mata nya, hinihintay ang sasabihin nya o ang pagbabago ng reaksyon sa mukha nya. Kabang-kaba ako habang seryoso syang nakatingin sa akin.

“How many weeks?” tahimik nyang tanong sa akin kaya mas lalo pa akong kinabahan.

“Six weeks.” I answered truthfully.

He nodded. Sandali syang humiwalay ng tingin sa akin at nang ibinalik nya ay may panibago na namang tanong.

“Kailan mo pa nalaman?” he asked. Napalunok muna ako bago sumagot.

“Last week lang.”

“And you hid it from me.”

Hindi ako nakapagsalita. Totoo naman. I hid the truth from him.

This is supposed to be a happy event for us. I know that we should’ve celebrating that we receive this gift but all we have is a gloomy atmosphere around us. Kasi ganoon si Death noong nalaman nya ang pagbubuntis ko kay Raven. He looked so happy even if we were in the middle of a mission that time. Pero ngayon ay sobrang seryoso nya.

“I’m so sorry, Death.” I almost whispered. “I was just afraid that you’ll pull me out in the mission. Again.”

Hindi pa rin sya nagsasalita. My heart almost sank seeing the indifference in his eyes.

“Ayokong umalis sa misyon, Death.” I continued to explain my side. “AYokong umupo lang sa isang tabi knowing that all of you are in danger. I want to help.”

“That’s it, Vexen. Alam mo namang delikado pero gusto mo pa rin sumali! At naglihim ka pa sa akin!”

I saw the hurt and disappointment in his eyes when he looked at me. Ngayon ko lang nakita ang ganitong expression sa mga mata nya. Merda! It hurts so much!

“Alam ko kasing paaalisin mo na naman ako.” I said. “At hindi ako matatahimik habang naghihintay lang sa isang tabi at mag-aabang ng balita tungkol sa laro! Hindi ko kaya ’yon, Death!”

His jaw clenched. Halos umiyak na ako. Pregnancy hormones are acting up kaya ganito ako ka-emosyonal sa baway reaction nya.

And he knew it. Kaya naman pinipigilan nya. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, so tight before I heard him sighed.

“I know all about it.” he admitted and my tears flowed down my cheeks. “I’m just waiting for you to tell me the truth. Hindi ko lang akalain na kaya mong itago sa akin ng ganitong katagal.”

I sobbed. Tinakpan ko ng mga palad ko ang buong mukha ko at doon umiyak.

Merda! Fourth is right! May ideya nga sya! Alam nya! Hindi ko alam kung paano pero ang sakit isipin na alam nya ang tungkol sa pagbubuntis ko but he chose to be silent about it para hintayin akong magsabi sa kanya. Alam nya pero hinayaan nya ako sa mga misyon!

“I am so sorry.” sabi ko na lang dahil hindi ko na alam ang dapat kong sabihin.

I heard him sighed. Tinanggal nya ang mga palad kong nakatakip sa mukha ko. He lifted my chin to make me look at him.

“I suddenly regretted that day when I pulled you out of the mission against your will.” he said. “Iyon ang dahilan kaya mo itinago ang bagay na ito sa akin, hindi ba? You’re afraid that I’ll do it again.”

“Death…” I sobbed.

“I made a mistake about that. I shouldn’t have done that. Pero gusto kong malaman mo na ginawa ko lang iyon ’cause I want to protect you and our child.”

I nodded at him. Making him realized that I understand all about it.

“Naiintindihan ko iyon, Death. And I’m sorry if I kept this as a secret. Gusto ko lang talagang tumulong.”

It was his turn to nod his head at me. He f;ashed me a gentle smile and wiped the tears off my cheeks.

“I know… I understand.” he said. “And you’re right. We need help, Vexen.”

Natigilan ako at nanatili ang tingin sa kanya. Hindi ako makapagsalita.

“Just promise me that you’ll be careful, Vexen. And you’ll be on the team with me. Every goddamn time.”

Mas lalong bumuhos ang mga luha ko dahil sa sinabi nya. He pulled me for a hug and I felt him kissed my hair.

“I know you’re strong. I know you can protect our child.” sabi nya habang yakap ako. “And we will protect our child, Vexen. We will protect them while helping the EL Ordre.”

I nodded and hugged him back. I hugged him so tight as I cried and smiled at the same time.

Merda! I love him so much! I love Death so much!

Chapter 14

It was a fine morning. I could see in their faces that they have enough rest despite of what we need to do, despite us still playing this game. Siguro ay masyado silang napagod sa mga nangyari nitong mga nakaraang araw.

But I had a hard time sleeping last night. I’m not even sure if I did fell asleep or not. I was thinking of all the possibilities, of all the hindrance that might come our way. I don’t even want to think of a bad outcome but I guess anyone who will be in this situation will be paranoid as well.

I am worried about my brother with every passing day na hindi pa sya nababawi. He’s with the gamemaster and Violet who brainwashed him and let out his impure thoughts to make him as King Lancer. Natatakot ako na sa bawat minutong lumilipas ay kung ano-ano nang kagaguhan ang ginagawa nila sa kapatid ko.

The last time that we saw each other, I saw him as being my little brother again. I saw the regret in his eyes as he says sorry for what he did to me. That’s him. That’s my little brother Grayson James Sanford. And fuck, I miss him.

Nakakatawa dahil kung dati ay wala ako sa tabi nya. Palagi akong malayo sa kanya when I was still searching for the murderer of our parents. Ibang-iba sa ngayon na gusto kong makasama na sya.

You will really see the worth of a person when they’re gone.

Damn it.

I sat on my place in the dining room, waiting for Kier to finish preparing our breakfast. Napatingin ako sa mga kasama ko na tahimik at naghihintay lang din. But the look in their faces is so obvious. They were also thinking about the game.

The voice, the one who’s sending us the question, give us a time to rest. We really need that dahil sunod-sunod ang misyon na ginawa namin at halos wala nang pahinga. We also need this to refresh our mind to come up with a great plan.

I glanced our Eresh, our plan maker. She was sitting beside Fourth who’s attention was only on hers. Parang wala syang nakikita sa paligid nya kundi si Eresh lang. While she’s looking around. taking secret glances to all of the members of EL Ordre.

Napangisi ako. It was so obvious, na kahit ilang linggo na kaming nagsasabay-sabay sa pagkain ay hindi pa rin sya sanay. But she looks happy with the number of people joining her in a meal. Hindi nga lang nya pinapahalata at tinatagpo ang nararamdaman sa likod ng pagsusungit nya.

I could tell that all her life, she was used of eating alone… Of being alone.

“Kier, may kanta ako para sayo.”

I heard that voice of my fucker friend, at pupusta akong may kalokohan na naman ang naiisip nya. I looked at him. He was standing beside Kier on the countertop, preparing our breakfast. V was helping her husband.

“Ano?” Kier asked without looking at him.

The fucking even cleared his throat twice before singing.

“Yes I do the cooking. Yes I do the cleaning. Yes I keep the nana real sweet for your eating. Yes you be the boss yes I be respecting whatever that you tell me ’cause it’s game you be spitting.”

I couldn’t help but to laugh. Archer sang and danced the song that it is so annoying yet funny to watch. Nakita ko din si Alter na mahinang napatawa sa kalokohan nya. Habang si V ay hindi alam kung matatawa o maiinis kay Archer dahil sa nakikitang inis sa mukha ng asawa nya.

The fucker really did know how to lighten up the mood.

And I’m actually thankful to him. Dahil kung minsan ay sobra-sobra akong nag-iisip tungkol sa kapatid ko, about the game and about my family. I know that Artemis and our kids are safe now that they’re with them. Pero hindi ko pa din maiwasan ang mag-alala.

And Archer will pull out his corny jokes to lighten up the mood. It will stop me from overthinking especially when I saw the reactions of the member from his jokes.

But I know that Archer has his worries as well. Malapit nang manganak ang asawa nya at alam kong gusto nya na ding alagaan si Fatima at manatili na lang sa tabi ng asawa nya. I know that he wanted to be a good and caring husband for her. Pero dahil sa larong ’to ay hindi pa nya magawa. She was with Artemis as well. She’s in the Gallaghe’s mansion.

So Archer’s doing everything to help the team. Besides being the best sniper of the EL Ordre, he’s actually helping us with his joke. Kung wala siguro ang pagiging palabiro nya, matagal na kaming tinakasan ng bait.

“Wala kang almusal.” Kier said. Nainis siguro sa mukhang tangang pagsasayaw ni Archer kanina.

“That hurts!” Archer exclaimed. He even hold that part of his chest where his heart is. “Talent fee ko na lang yung almusal ko!”

“Tangina mo. Ang panget naman ng sayaw mo.” Plutus said as he puff his vape. “Nakakasuka ka.”

“Grabe ka sakin, Attorney Villariza! Tandaan mong business partners tayo!” idinuro pa ni Archer si Plutus.

“My worst decision ever.” he simply said and puffed on his vape again.

We started to eat. The scent of coffee filled the room. Hindi ko alam kung kailan nagsimula pero bigla na lang kaming nagsabay-sabay sa pagkain whenever we are all in the hideout. It was like a routine for us. Hindi kami makakakain kung may isang wala sa hapag na nandito din sa hideout.

Except for Ishtar. She was eating alone inside her room. While Hoax, her guardian for awhile, is with us.

Marami ang mawawalan ng gana at hindi makakakain ng maayos if we let her eat with us, just like before. It’s a good thing that Aius could still take the fact that they are inside a one roof. Hindi nya pa pinapalayas o kung ano.

But I know him. I know Aius. Matagal na ang pagkakaibigan namin kaya kilala ko na sya. At alam kong hindi nya kayang patawarin si Ishtar. No matter what her reason is.

“When do you think they will contact us again?” Fourth asked while were in the middle of eating.

He was looking at me so the rest did the same. Tinapos ko muna ang pagnguya sa pagkain that was inside my mouth before answering him.

“I’ve no idea.” I said with my all honesty.

“So we’re just gonna wait for that voice to contact us again?” Eresh asked. “No plan at all?”

“You’re the plan maker, right? Ikaw dapat ang sumagot sa tanong mo na ’yan.”

Eresh looked at Pltus with an annnoyed expression on her face. Hindi alam kung sasagutin pa ba ang pagpapapansin na tanong ni Plutus. It was obvious though. With that playful smirk on his lips as he drank his coffee. It was like he’s challenging her.

But Eresh just rolled her eyes and looked at Fourth beside her who was just looking at her intently. She raised an eyebrow at him. Napangisi si Fourth at umiling lang.

I know that Plutus has feelings for Eresh. He’s not trying to keep it a secret though. I think he wanted Fourth to know about it. For him, keeping it as a secret is like betraying him.

Fourth know about that reason of him. At kahit hindi nila pinag-usapan ay nagkasundo sila. They have this agreement between them. Boys agreement. A man to man agreement. Na hanggang pang-aasar lang ang kayang gawin ni Plutus kay Eresh. That he will never do anything to steal her away from Fourth.

And Fourth knows how much Eresh loves him. That even if Plutus will break their agreement, she will never get swayed easily by him.

We all heard an email notification from my laptop kaya lahat kami ay napatingin doon. Tension immediately filled the air. It was like we all knew who sent that email.

I got up and took my latop bago ako bumalik sa hapag na dala iyon. Walang nagsasalita sa kanila as they wait for me to open that email and read it out loud to them.

“It’s a voicemail.” I said when I saw the attached file.

“That was fast…” Viper commented.

“Which is good. Para hindi na tumagal pa ’to.” Aius said.

I nodded and stared at the voicemail. Nag-aabang sila sa akin so I didn’t waste any time played it. The voice was heard.

“Hello, chess pieces! Did you get enough rest?”

We really couldn’t tell if the speaker is a he or a she. It was using a voice changer.

“Hindi naman nya maririnig sagot natin, tatanong-tanong pa.” bumubulong na sabi ni Alter sa tabi ni L.

“About the previous question, you guess it right!” the voice said. “Sanford house is where your chess game started. Yung laro nyao ha? Doon kasi unang gumawa ng hakbang ang Red Faction. At pandaraya pa!”

The voice laughed. I saw Eresh looking at my laptop with her cold eyes. Parang gustong durugin o kung ano.

It really was cheating from her group. Killing my parents when their game already ended. I got mad because of that. I was driven by my anger. Dahil doon, wala na akong ibang inisip kundi ang maghiganti.

I looked at my latop. The soundwaves were moving at the screen as the voice chuckled. Like it knew that our emotions were being affected.

I even heard it smirked afterwards before it asked again.

“Are you ready for the next question?”

Chapter 15

Nakatingin lang kaming lahat sa laptop ni Tracer, waiting for the voice to spill the question. I could see in their reaction that they are all impatient. Paano ba naman, may patanong-tanong pa yung boses na ’yon kung ready na daw ba kami, eh hindi nya naman maririnig ’yung sagot namin. May pa-thrill pang nalalaman.

The voice explained that our chess game started when the brothers, Dyke and Sieg, killed the Sanfords parents. Simula pa lang ng laro, pandaraya na ang ginawa ng Red Faction. That’s why I understand Tracer’s grudge. Lahat ng galit nya ay tinanggap ko. As I also helped to get the information of his parents and gave it to Dyke.

My skills. My hacking and tracking skills is a gift yet it’s also a curse. Ang akala ko ay nakakatulong ako. I was even proud of myself. Little did I know, I was already breaking someone with my skills.

Halos ayawan ko na ang skills ko na ’to. But then,  without this, I don’t think I will ever meet L or the rest of the EL Ordre and Red Faction. Despite in this death game, I’ve met people whom I can call as my family.

Napatingin ako kay L sa tabi ko na tahimik na umiinom sa kape nya habang matamang nakatingin sa laptop ni Tracer. We are all having the same expression on our face as we wait for the voice to speak again.

Alam namin na pinaglalaruan na naman kami. Whoever owns that voice must’ve known that we are desperate to find the Red Faction’s hideout. Lalo na si Tracer. Kailangan naming mabawi kaagad ang kapatid nya.

“The Sanfords suffered so much in this game.” the voice said. Halata ang pagpapaawa sa boses pero tumatakas naman ang katuwaan doon. “Imagine? The first move of the enemy was killing their parents that was against the rules! Then they plan to kill the older Rook’s beloved woman! And worst, they took their youngest Sanford and made him their King! Para hindi makalaban ang EL Ordre sa kanila!”

The voice laughed. Nakita ko kung paano naapektuhan ang iba sa kanila especially Tracer and Ate Eresh. She looked so guilty at masama na talaga ang tingin sa laptop ni Tracer. Her hands were balled in a fist and Fourth’s trying to calm her down.

That voice… It’s trying to stir our emotions.

Nahalata ko na iyon. Una pa lang. Like it’s trying to attack us on our weakest point. Like Aius going back to that condo unit after that day. Tracer going back to their house where his parents were killed. And I’m scared on what it’s gonna be this time.

“But they’re not the only ones who took so much damage in this game.” the voice continued. “Well, alam ko naman na lahat kayo ay may kanya-kanyang pinagdaanan but I just want to commend this strong person dahil nalagpasan nya ang lahat ng iyon! It’s none other than the Mad Queen!”

“Dami pang satsat ng putanginang ’yan.” Kylo growled. Hindi na makapag-vape sa sobrang inis.

“Can’t you trace it’s location, Tracer?” Hoax asked. Sinusubukan nyang intindihin ang lahat kahit hindi sya masyadong makaintindi ng Tagalog.

Tracer shook his head.

“It’s not retraceable.”

Both L and I nodded by Tracer’s statement. Ilang beses naming sinubukan i-track ang IP address ng sender but to no avail. Whoever it is, magaling din sya like us. It built their firewall so well.

“Well, then.” muling sabi ng boses kaya napatingin ulit kami sa laptop ni Tracer. “I just gave you the question. Time limit, four hours. Good luck on answering that one! Ciao!”

Biglang nawala ang boses kaya nagkatinginan kaming lahat. We couldn’t understand what just happened. Nakikinig lang kami sa mga pinagsasabi nya kahit marami syang satsat pero wala kaming napansin na tanong!

“Nasaan ang tanong ’dun?” Viper asked. May kalituhan din sa mukha nya kagaya naming lahat.

“Wala din akong napansin.” Aius said.

We all heard Ate Eresh exagerrated sigh. Napatingin kaming lahat sa kanya and saw her rolled her eyes at us. Imbes na mainis ay natawa pa ang ilan sa kanya.

“There’s another code that’s hidden, you dumbasses.” inis na sabi nya. I can’t help but to smile. Para kasing sya ’yung leader sa school na palagi lang nag-iisip para sa grupo.

“Oh, chill lang.” Archer said as he chuckled. “Baka manganak ka bigla dyan.”

Ate Eresh glared at him.

“Stupid lumpia glutton.”

“If you’re that smart, then decode it for us.” Plutus challenged her.

Si Ate Eresh pa talaga ang hinamon nya. She will never back out.

“Give me the fucking laptop and the fucking earphones.”

Fourth chuckled beside her. Parang gustong pigilan si Ate Eresh sa pagmumura but he knew that it will be useless. Afterall, he also loves that part of my Ate Eresh.

Wala din nagawa si Tracer kundi ang ibigay ang hinihingi ni Ate Eresh. She put on the earphones and plugged it on the laptop before she rolled her eyes at us and started listening on the voice again.

Walang nakapansin sa amin ng hidden code na sinasabi nya. Maybe we are all too focused on whatever the voice was saying kaya hindi namin napansin. But she did. Ate Eresh did. Kahit na nakita ko ang galit sa kanya kanina, kahit na nakita kong naapektuhan sya sa sinabi noon, she still noticed the code.

Such a perfect Queen.

“It’s a tap code.” Fourth said as he gave Ate Eresh a pen and a paper. “There were a series of tapping and knocking sound in the background. It’s faint but you can actually notice it with full concentration.”

“Ah, kaya hindi ko napansin.” Archer commented. “Sumisingit kasi sa isip ko ’yung lumpia.”

Ate Eresh tried to shushed us. I figured that the sound is faint, just like what Fourth said. Dinidiinan nya kasi ’yung earphone sa tenga nya para marinig nyang mabuti and her brows were furrowed as she writes the decoded message.

I guess she knew a lot about tap code. O kahit ang morse code. Ang hindi lang siguro nya alam ay kapag about computers na.

“It’s a coordinates.” sabi ni Ate Eresh na patuloy pa din sa pagsusulat.

She removed the earphones off her ears. She handed us the paper with the decoded message. Kinuha iyon ni Tracer at tinitigan.

“You can locate that, right?” Ate Eresh asked.

Tumango si Tracer at ibinalik ni Ate Eresh sa kanya ang latop nya. Tracer quickly worked with it and tried to find the exact address of the coordinates.

“Can’t believe that you’re all still alive with those stupid brains.” Ate Eresh mumbled pero narinig naman ng lahat. Sabagay, halata namang pinaparinig nya.

Imbes na mainis ay natawa na lang sila. They used to Ate Eresh being like this. Being so masungit and insulting people. This is her way of telling us that she’s comfortable around us. Ibang-iba kasi kapag hindi. You can tell by the way she talks if her guard is up, like she’s protecting herself. Then she will speak will full of sarcasm and malice. That’s her way to defend herself. To show to her opponent that no one could ever break her.

But now, halata na komportable na sya sa lahat. Her guard is down, especially with Fourth beside her.

“Here.” iniharap sa amin ni Tracer ang laptop nya. “That’s the exact address and location.”

Tumingin kaming lahat sa laptop nya.

“So it’s a location again this time.” Kier said. “Pero walang tanong.”

“I guess na nasa location ulit ang tanong?” V asked.

“Probably.” L agreed.

But as I looked at Tracer’s laptop, I recognized the location. Hindi ako pwedeng magkamali dahil hindi ko malilimutan ang lugar na iyon.

I looked at Ate Eresh and I figured that she knew that location as well. Her eyes found mine. Parang tinitignan kung alam ko ba o hindi ang lugar.

When she saw the recognition in my face, she heaved a deep breath and sighed.

“That’s… the first hideout of the Red Faction.” she said. Napatingin lahat sa kanya.

“Pero diba underground hideout nyo noon?” Archer asked.

Ate Eresh shook her head.

“No. That’s our second hideout. ’Yung location na ’yan… It was the Levitsky’s mansion.”

That’s right. Our first hideout was their mansion. Ate Eresh’s father just moved our hideout into the underground for us to concentrate in the game. Baka daw kasi isipin namin na nagbabahay-bahayan lang kami if we make our plans and held our meeting in the Levitsky’s mansion.

I don’t know when it was. I was in my teens I think. The time when Ross got missing while trying to figure out who the EL Ordre’s King is. Little did we knew, he died… When he killed Angela.

“Do we need to go there?” Archer asked.

“Obviously.” Ate Eresh answered as she crossed her arms over her chest. “And obviously, kasama ako.”

Nakahalukipkip sya. She’s on her defense. She’s trying to hide something from us. I’ve known her ever since kaya alam ko kung ano iyon.

Her real emotions.

Fourth noticed it as well kaya hindi na nya nilubayan ng tingin si Ate Eresh. She didn’t mind. Alam nyang wala na syang maitatago pa kay Fourth even if she tried to hide it. He really can understand her so well.

Fourth is the only man for him. Sya lang ang nakakaintindi kay Ate Eresh. Kahit na hindi ipaliwanag ni Ate Eresh ang sarili nya sa kanya.

“Sasama din ako.” he said. Tinaasan lang sya ng kilay ni Ate Eresh at hindi na tumutol sa gusto nya.

She knew that she needs him in this mission.

I am right. The voice is trying to stir our emotions. At ngayon, si Ate Eresh ang puntirya nya.

“I want to go too.” I said. Nalingunan ko ang mabilis na pagbaling sa akin ni L. Inuhan ko na bago pa sya makapagsalita. “L, I was a member of the Red Faction. That became my hideout as well.”

“Hindi mo kailangan sumama.” giit ni L pero alam kong nakikita nya ang pinupunto ko. He just tried his luck.

I smiled at him.

“It’s obvious, L. This time, it’s about the Red Faction.”

And, I want to be with Ate Eresh this time. Hindi kasi maganda ang kutob ko.

“Sasama na din ako.” Plutus said. “I can protect Alter in your stead.”

L regarded this. Napangiti ako nang tumango sya at pumayag sa gusto kong mangyari.

“At syempre, I’ll be you sniper as usual.” Archer said as he stood up.

We all got ready. Mabilis ang tibok ng puso ko dahil sa kaba. I really have a bad feeling about this.

If only there was another way where we could find Shielder quickly, hindi na namin gagawin ’to. But no matter how L and I tried so hard to find his location, we just couldn’t.

So we have no choice but to go to the former Red Faction’s hideout.

The place where Ate Eresh’s nightmares happened.

Chapter 16

Archer was driving us to our destination. I was on the passenger seat and Fourth and Ate Eresh were on the backseat. The ride was so quiet that I could hear the humming of the car’s engine. Parang pati sila ay nakakaramdaman na may hindi magandang mangyayari.

Plutus’ car was following us behind. Sya lang mag-isa. Nagkalituhan pa nga kami sa kung saan kami sasakay na kotse. Eresh doesn’t want to be with Plutus and he never made fun of her because of that. Ngayon lang sya hindi nang-asar. Siguro ay napansin nya ang pagbabago sa emosyon ni Ate Eresh.

Then of course, Fourth wants to be with her the whole time. Kaya pinili nila ang sumabay kay Archer. Plutus asked me to go with him since that was his promise to L pero gusto ko rin na samahan si Ate Eresh. Kaya sama-sama kami sa sasakyan ni Archer.

Archer is the joker of the group. He’s doing it to lighten up the mood. Pero ngayon ay wala syang sinabing kahit isang salita simula nang umalis kami sa hideout. I know that he is being considerate with Ate Eresh feelings.

Ate Eresh’s emotion and mental state aren’t that stable yet. Kaya nga gusto nyang tapusin ang laro. So she can finally be the best version of herself. And Fourth is beside her to give her a helping hand.

Alam kong alam na rin ni Ate Eresh ang ginagawa ng boses na iyon. That it’s trying to stir our emotions. Kaya nakikita ko ang kaunting pagkabahala sa kanya. She’s trying to hide it but with the past that’s been haunting her but now she needs to face it, she’s having a hard time to keep everything to herself now. Now that Fourth broke down her wall that she built around herself.

I looked outside the car’s window. Parang ganito din ’yung naging byahe namin nila Aius noon. I could hear the cars passing us by. I always find that sound pleasing to the ears. Pero ngayon ay parang hindi ako nakakalma doon.

I hope that this is just a feeling. Sana ay hindi magkatotoo ang kutob ko.

I wish I have my lollipop with me.

In no time, I could finally see our very first hideout. The Red Faction’s first hideout.

Archer parked the car outside the abandoned mansion. Halatang wala nang nakatira doon. Ang sumunod na bahay ay may kalayuan kaya kung titignan ang mansion ng mga Levitsky sa gabi ay magmumukha iyong isang haunted house. I bet the neighboring kids already made some horror stories about the mansion.

Plutus parked his car just behind Archer’s. Lumikha ng tunog ang pagsarado nya ng pinto nang bumaba sya. His eyebrows were furrowed because of the sunlight. Nasilaw yata. Mas lalo tuloy nahalata ang reddish tint ng amber eyes nya.

“Dito ka lumaki?” tanong nya agad nang makalapit kay Ate Eresh.

Ate Eresh looked at him to make sure if he’s just making fun of her. When she saw the seriousness in his eyes, she nodded.

“This was my house.” she said.

“When did you move out?” Plutus asked again.

“When… my father died.”

I figured that Fourth must’ve known about this. Hindi kasi sya nagsasalita at tahimik lang. Sabagay. Ate Eresh must’ve told him everything.

“Give me five minutes to be in position.” sabi ni Archer na hawak na ang duffle bag na may laman ng sniper gun nya.

He pointed at his left ear.

“I’ll just give you a go signal.”

Tumango kami sa sinabi nya at umalis na. We waited for him to be in his position and when we heard his signal, Ate Eresh opened the gate to their mansion.

Lumangitngit ang bakal na gate sa pagbubukas ni Ate Eresh noon. Kinakalawang na din iyon at nahirapan pa sya sa pagbubukas so Fourth had to help her. We went in the mansion at nagulat kami na malinis ang loob.

I mean., this mansion has been abandoned for too long. Walang pwedeng tumira kundi ang mga Levitsky lang at alam kong pinabayaan na din ni Ate Eresh ang mansion when she moved out. She didn’t want to take care of the place where the hellish part of her life happened.

Pero ngayon, malinis na malinis ang loob.

“Must be the work of whoever owns that voice.” Fourth said as he looked around the inside of the mansion. “So it wouldn’t leave any trace on where it hid what we need to find.”

Napanguso na lang ako. Ayos din pala. Nalinis ang buong mansion nang wala sa oras para dito.

But seems like Ate Eresh didn’t like what’s happening. She has a grim expression on her face. Tinitignan nya ang bawat haligi ng mansion at parang inaalala ang mga nangyari doon.

We went further inside and I immediately saw the dining hall slash our meeting room. Nakita ko ang magnificent chair ni Ate Eresh. That Queen’s chair she’s always sitting whenever we had our meeting. At sa kabilang kabisera ng mahabang lamesang iyon ay ang King’s chair. It was always empty back then.

I could remember us, sitting on those chairs. Noong mga panahong kumpleto pa kami. The brothers, Dyke and Sieg. Ross. Black. Yucca. Enkidu. Nergal.

A sudden thought came across my mind. What if we all meet under different circumtances? Is there any possibility that we could be a family? ’Cause I know, even if the lives of the Red Faction’s members were so fucked up, we all feel safe together. Our safe haven were with one another.

Nakakapanghinayang.

“Plutus, Fourth. Search in this floor. Sa taas kami ni Alter maghahanap.” Ate Eresh said after a moment of staring at the dining area.

“Wait, Eresh…” Fourth intervened. “I’ll be with you.”

Napalingon sa akin si Ate Eresh and one look, I could already understand what she’s trying to tell me. Ako lang ang babae sa grupo. That’s why she wants me to be with her.

“Fourth…” I said. “Ako na ang sasama kay Ate Eresh.”

I know Fourth doesn’t want to. Halatang-halata sa pagkakakapit nya sa braso ni Ate Eresh na mukhang ayaw pa nyang bitiwan. Plutus sighed and looked around the mansion instead with his hands inside the pockets of his pants.

Ate Eresh stared at Fourth. It’s like she’s trying to communicate with him through her gaze dahil hindi nya magawang masabi. As words couldn’t define what she’s feeling rightnow.

His sea-green eyes stared back at her. Nanonood lang ako sa dalawa habang si Plutus ay nagsisimula na sa paghahanap. In the end, Fourth sighed and nodded his head.

“Be careful.” he said. Ate Eresh smiled at him and gave him a quick pecked on his lips.

“Thank you, my King.”

Naglakad na si Ate Eresh paakyat at nakasunod lang ako sa kanya. We got into the second floor and we walked further. Halos mapatigil ako nang mapagtanto ang daang tinatahak nya.

It was her room.

Napatitig ako sa likod nya. She was walking with confidence. The sounds of her heels as it hits the floor could be heard. Natigil lang iyon nang mapatapat na sya sa pintuan ng kwarto nya.

I know why she asked me to be with her this time. May mga bagay na hindi nya kayang ipakita kay Fourth. She didn’t want him to see the room where she was violated.

And I’m glad that she could find comfort in me.

Ate Eresh opened the door. She stood there for a couple of minutes, just staring inside the room. Nahaharangan ng likod nya ang view sa loob but I’m sure na wala iyong pinagbago. Just like on the dining hall.

That voice wanted Ate Eresh to remember everything that happened in this mansion.

She sighed and went further in. Nakita ko na ang lahat sa loob and I was right. Wala ngang pinagbago ang loob. I don’t remember how many times I’ve been here pero naaalala ko pa din ang lahat. Mula sa pwesto ng one seater sofa, her bed, bedsheet, bedside table, lamp, the interior, curtains, carpet… Walang pinagbago.

Ah, no. Meron din pala. Pero hindi ko na pinansin as maybe it was a damage for being abandoned for so long.

“Let’s try to find whatever the fuck it is and get out of here.” said Ate Eresh. 

Nakakatakot na ang itsura ng kwarto nya ay kagaya pa din noon. Even after all those years, nagawa ng kung sino man na ibalik sa dati ang itsura ng kwarto.

Maybe Ate Eresh is feeling scared right now kaya gusto nyang madaliin ang paghahanap sa kwarto nya. She wanted to get out of this room as I know that her memories of what happened inside here is coming back.

I have an idea on what happened here. Pero ayokong isipin talaga. Okay lang na may idea lang ako. Alam ko kasing hindi ko kakayanin kung malaman ko pa in detail.

Kung ako ay di ko kinakaya, then what about my Ate Eresh?

I started to search on the room as well. Tinanggal ko ang bedsheet, lifted up the mattress and tried to look under the bed pero wala akong mahanap. I also tried to find on the drawers of the bedside table but it was empty.

I tried to look around. Muli akong napatingin sa napansin ko kanina. My eyebrows furrowed and walked towards that wall, just opposite to the side where the bed is. Kinabahan ako nang may pumasok sa isip ko.

“Alter.”

Napalingon ako kay Ate Eresh. She was holding a red envelope, a big one this time. Parang lalagyan ng mga documents but it was red.

Nakatingin si Ate Eresh sa likod ko, doon sa tinitignan ko kanina. I saw her stilled and I know that the idea crossed her mind as well.

There was a little hole on the wall. Hindi masyadong mapapansin, especially if someone didn’t have enough training to have a keen eye. Or if the owner of the room is a child or young.

“I think this is it.” Ate Eresh said. Hindi na pinansin ang nakita namin. “Let’s go.”

Napatango na lang ako at sinundan sya palabas ng kwarto but before I went outside the room, I looked to where that hole is. I closed my eyes and pushed that thought away from my head.

The former Red Faction’s King… wouldn’t be that evil, right? Ate Eresh’s father wouldn’t do that to her. I mean, he is her father. He wouldn’t be able to do something more evil to her child… Right?

Ate Eresh will be okay… right?

Chapter 17

Trigger warning: Some scenes in this chapter might be too disturbing. Reader discretion is advised.

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Ate Eresh didn’t let go of that big envelope. Kahit na nang tinanong sya ni Fourth kung anong laman noon. She didn’t give them any answer. Wala din naman syang maibibigay since she haven’t opened the envelope yet.

I know that the tiny hole bothered her. Siguro ay hindi nya rin nahalata noong ginagamit nya pa ang kwartong iyon. Understable since she was young that time. She was still a kid and with what’s happening with her back then, mukhang kahit mapansin nya man ay hindi nya mapag-iisipan ng kung ano iyon.

Only now that we’ve gone back in there that she paid attention to it. Pero kahit napansin na ay pilit nya pa ring inignora. But I know that we felt the same and the same idea crossed our minds when we saw the title hole.

We went back to the hideout. On our way back, nobody has said anything. Tahimik pa rin si Archer na nagmamaneho lang ng kotse. Even Fourth was silent as well. Halata sa pagkakahawak ni Ate Eresh ng envelope ang higpit noon, not wanting to let it go or give it to anyone.

But she knew that once we reached the EL Ordre’s hideout, she has to open that envelope so we could move on in the game.

I just hope that the contents of that envelope isn’t anything that we think of.

We got out of the car as soon as Archer parked the car inside the garage of the hideout. Sumunod ang kotse ni Plutus na ilang sandali munang nasa loob ng sasakyan nya bago bumaba.

The sun got into my eyes that I had to close it and shield my eyes from the sunlight using my hand. The wind blows my hair. Kahit na mainit ay hindi ramdam dahil sa ihip ng hangin.

I looked at Ate Eresh. Mas tumitingkad ang kulay ng buhok nya dahil sa araw. Her blonde hair suits her fair skin that looked so reddish when the heat hits her skin.

I noticed Fourth looking intently at her fiancee. Halata ang pagtataka sa mukha nya dahil sa pagbabago ng mga ikinikilos ni Ate Eresh. She looks so guarded again. And I’m worried that she might get hurt even with her guarded self once we open the contents of the envelope.

“Ang bilis nyo, ah?” V commented when we get inside the hideout.

They were in the living room now at halatang hinihintay ang pagdating namin. Lahat sila ay nandoon except for Ishtar na nagkukulong pa rin sa loob ng kwarto nya.

A coffee scent filled the air na ipinagtaka ko dahil wala namang nagkakape sa kanila, or nagtitimpla ng kape since they were all here. I noticed the smoke filling the room and that’s when I realized that it’s a vapor from Plutus’ vape. Siguro ay bagong flavor ang juice and it was a coffee flavored one.

“We got this.” Ate Eresh showed them the envelope pero ipinang-paypay nya rin sa harap ng mukha nya to get rid of the vape near her. She glared at Plutus who just smirked at her.

“Don’t you like the smell of the new flavor?” tanong pa nya na halatang inaasar at nagpapapansin na naman kay Ate Eresh.

Nakakaawa din sya minsan. Para syang isang highschool boy na trying hard magpapansin sa crush nya. But since he knew that she’s off-limits, hanggang doon na lang ang kaya nyang gawin.

“I don’t like everything about you.” Ate Eresh said, emphasizing the word everything. Plutus just puffed on his vape again. Natuwa na yata sa kaunting atensyon na ibinigay sa kanya ng crush nya.

The ghost smile on Fourth’s lips is so obvious. And I admire him dahil hindi sya napipikon sa pagpapapansin ni Plutus kay Ate Eresh. Mukha pa ngang natatawa na lang sya. Sabagay, he knew that in the end, Ate Eresh is his.

“Anong laman ng envelope?” Tracer asked kaya nabaling sa kanya ang atensyon ni Ate Eresh. I noticed her grip on the envelope tightened.

“I haven’t opened it yet.” sagot nya habang umuupo sa sofa. Tumabi si Fourth sa kanya.

I sat beside L who stopped from typing on his laptop to put an arm around my shoulder and pulled me towards him. I rested my head on his chest as we both listened to the conversation they’re having.

“Do you want me to open it?” Fourth asked.

Ate Eresh looked at him. Halata sa mga mata na pinag-iisipan nya ang isasagot nya. In the end, she shook her head and Fourth smiled at her.

“My brave Queen…” he said so softly and so sweetly na bahagyang nagpawala sa pangambang hindi maalis sa mga mata ni Ate Eresh. She sighed and finally tore the seal of the envelope.

Ate Eresh emptied the content of the envelope on the table. The hard plastic container made a sound when it hit the glass coffee table. Napatitig kaming lahat doon.

It was a compact disk.

Mabilis akong napatingin kay Ate Eresh na nakatulala sa compact disk sa harapan nya. Ang kabog ng dibdib ko ay sobrang lakas na feeling ko ay naririnig iyon ng mga tao dito sa hideout.

No… It can’t be.

Walang nakasulat na kung ano sa compact disk kaya walang magkapagsabi kung anong laman noon. Tracer took it and studied it too.

Kaya pala mukhang walang laman ang envelope dahil ito lang ang laman noon. And they needed a bigger one dahil hindi magkakasya ang compact disk kung sa kagaya ng mga naunang envelope na bigay nila iyon ilalagay.

Ibinala kaagad iyon ni Tracer sa laptop nya. Lahat ay nakatingin sa kanya, nag-aabang sa kung anong laman ng compact disk maliban kay Ate Eresh na nakatulala pa rin at si Fourth na nakatingin sa kanya.

And maybe L as well. As he noticed my reaction.

“Is there any problem?” mahinang tanong ni L sa tabi ko.

Bahagya ko syang nilingon. Hindi alam ang sasabihin sa kanya. Mabilis at malakas pa din ang tibok ng puso ko that it’s making my head hurts.

L frowned at me. I know that he could see the worry in my eyes. Naiiyak na ako ngayon sa sobrang pag-aalala at kaba.

“Codee?” L probed me and I shook my head bago muling tinignan si Ate Eresh.

No, please… Don’t hurt her anymore.

“One voice and dozens of video files.” Tracer said. Siguro ay nag-load na ang laman ng bala. The voice file was titled as ‘play me’ while the video files were just dated.“

“Ate…” I mumbled. Talagang naiiyak na ko.

“Play the voice mail. I’m sure that it’s the same voice.” Aius said.

Hindi ko alam kung anong isinagot ni Tracer doon dahil nakatingin lang ako kay Ate Eresh. I saw her gulped countless of times. She’s trying to act strong and unbothered pero halata sa mga mata nya ang kaba.

That particular past of her, hindi nya kayang magpanggap na malakas kapag tungkol doon.

“Hello, chess pieces. Good job on retrieving this one.” said that familiar voice. “Siguro nagtataka na kayo kung anong laman ng disk , no?” it chuckled. “I’ll just give you the question first na masasagot din naman ng compact disk na ’to.”

I wanted to turn it off. I don’t want to hear anything.

“The next question is for one of you.” pagpapatuloy ’nung boses and I could imagine it smirking. “Mad Queen… How did you think King Lancer discovered about it? Do you have any idea?”

Ate Eresh eyes were cold as she slowly turned her gazed on Tracer’s laptop. Halos maiyak na ako nang makita ang pamilyar na tingin na iyon.

That’s the gaze she’s always using when she’s pretending to be tough. When deep inside, she’s really, really scared.

“I want all of you to watch all the video files. From the start to the end.” the voice said. “All of it.”

Tracer, who doesn’t have any idea on what the voice was talking about, turned the screen of his laptop on us so we could see it. Suddenly, the first video played even if Tracer isn’t playing it yet, I figured that the disk is programmed like that.

The video played and my hands immidiately flew to my mouth and covered it. Hindi ko na napigilan ang pagbuhos ng mga luha ko nang makilala ang lugar na nasa laptop screen.

It was Ate Eresh’s room.

On the video, makikita ang isang bata na nakaupo sa dulo ng kama. The young girl has a short blonde hair at kahit hindi nila sabihin ay alam kong nakilala nilang lahat kung sino iyon.

A man, around his forties entered the room. Makikita ang magkahalong saya at takot sa mga mata ng bata habang nakatingin sa lalaki.

“Father…” the young girl said.

“You know what to do, Ereshkigal.” the man said.

Umiling ang bata na nasa video. “Ayoko na po. Please… stop. Ayoko na po.”

“Anong ayaw mo na?!” halata ang galit sa boses ng lalaki. “You must do this so you can win the game! You must learn how to pleasure a man! So you can seduce the EL Ordre’s King—”

V closed Tracer’s laptop kaya namatay iyon at natigil ang mga nag-uusap. Napatayo pa sya so she could reached the laptop. Her hands were shaking and her eyes were red with unshed tears.

Walang nakapagsalita. Lahat ay natulala. Kahit si Tracer na narinig lang ang mga pag-uusap sa video. Kahit sandali lang iyon at ilang segundo ang napanood. I know that even though they haven’t finished watching the video yet, they already knew it’s contents.

There’s so many video files in there that were dated. So many….

“Eresh. Eresh, look at me.”

I looked at Fourth trying to shake Ate Eresh’s body. Nagkatunog ang pag-iyak ko nang makita syang nakatulala habang tumutulo ang luha sa mga mata nya. She was breathing really hard at parang nahihirapan pang huminga.

“Eresh, it’s me… Loki. Look at me, please.”

She shook her head and tried to slap Fourth’s hands na nakahawak sa kanya. Her eyes were unfocused. Kung saan-saan na tumitingin habang umiiyak.

“No… No, don’t touch me.” she said when Fourth tried to hold her again. “Don’t touch me!”

Isiniksik nya ang sarili nya sa gilid ng sofa. Napahagulgol na ako sa nakikita ko and L tried to hug me. But it wasn’t enough to give me comfort when I’m seeing Ate Eresh being like this,

“Eresh—” Fourth said but he was cut off by her pleading voice.

“Ayoko na po!” pumalahaw sya ng iyak. “Ayoko na po! Please, tama na. Ayoko na po!”

Fourth hugged her and she was hurting him by punching him and pushing him away. Pero hinigpitan ni Fourth ang pagkakayakap sa kanya at hindi sya binitiwan.

“It’s me, Eresh.” his voice broke. “It’s me, Loki…”

“Ayoko na po… Parang awa nyo na…”

I saw V covered her ears with both of her hands as she cried. I was sobbing as well at hindi ko na kinakaya ang sakit sa dibdib ko dahil sa naririnig na pagmamakaawa at pag-iyak ni Ate Eresh. The men were all looking away at the scene in front of us. 

I was crying really hard while looking at Ate Eresh who doesn’t recognized Fourth as he hugged her. I was crying for my brave Ate Eresh who looked nothing like the Mad Queen at this time.

I watched the brave and strong Queen crumbled into pieces in front of me.

Chapter 18

There was a heavy tension in the living room the next morning. Nobody hasn’t said anything yet. Simula nang magising kami ni Death at magsimula syang magluto ng breakfast, hanggang sa unti-unting pagdating ng EL Ordre sa dining table, walang nagsalita. Nobody greeted anyone a good morning. As we know that what happened yesterday is still affecting us.

Wala din sumubok na iungkat ang nangyari. We already have an idea on what happened with Eresh, dahil narinig namin sila ni Ishtar na nag-uusap noon. But we didn’t have any idea on what will be the content of the compact disk. We never thought that her father could do something so evil and horrible like that.

Seeing Eresh like that, begging for Fourth not to touch her. Na parang inaakala nyang ang ama pa rin ang kaharap. I bet the video made her relieve the feelings and trauma she had with that experience.

Ibang-iba sya sa Mad Queen na nakilala ko. She broke down in front of us. Ang palahaw nyang pag-iyak ay masakit sa dibdib. Punong-puno ng pagmamakaawa habang humahagulgol. It was heartbreaking to hear and watch her like that.

All her confidence and braveness crumbled into millions of pieces just like that.

Merda! I couldn’t imagine what she’s feeling right now.

Even when we began to eat, it was still gloomy. Wala pa ring nagsasalita. Maging si Archer na lumalaklak ng annoyingness and corny jokes tuwing umaga ay wala ding sinabi kahit ano. It’s like all of us were affected by what happened to Eresh.

Even in a short time, we learned how to be comfortable with Eresh even if she was our enemy back then. We learned to love her and include her in the family of EL Ordre. Kaya ngayong may pinagdadaanan sya ay hindi namin maiwasan ang mag-alala.

I could hear the birds chirping merrily outside. It was like they’re happy and singing a thankful song for another day. Ibang-iba sa kung anong nararamdaman namin ngayon.

Matagal bago kumalma si Eresh sa mga bisig ni Fourth. He didn’t let her go even if Eresh was hurting him, scratching his face and punching him a lot of times. Paulit-ulit syang nagpakilala hanggang sa huminahon na si Eresh. Nagkulong sila sa loob ng kwarto after that at kung minsan ay maririnig pa rin namin ang paghagulgol ni Eresh. The video is like a trigger on her.

I wonder how long will it take for her to be okay again.

Or maybe, she wasn’t really okay even before. She was just hiding it. Kaya ngayon ay sobra ang epekto sa kanya ng mga video.

We went to the living room after that. It has became our daily routine when we were in the hideout. Dito kami umiisip ng planong gagawin namin.

But seems like today isn’t a typical day. Walang nagsasalita o nagsa-suggest ng plano. The gloomy atmosphere is still there. Hindi rin kasi bumaba sina Eresh at Fourth para mag-almusal.

Seems like Eresh still isn’t okay.

Knowing that someone like me, a woman like me has been violated hurts so much. Worse, it was her own father.

Sexual abuse victims often say that they are weak, that they are not strong. ’Cause if they are, they will stop the abuse and wouldn’t feel scared when it happened. But that is not the truth. Courage is not the one that comes first. It is fear. And you will be courageous because you face your fear.

For me, Eresh is really a brave, strong and courageous Queen. Dahil nakaya at ginusto nya pa ring mabuhay pagkatapos ng lahat. Hindi sya sumuko.

She really did deserve the best. And I support Fourth on giving her that.

We heard a door closing from upstairs and seconds laters, we saw Fourth walking down the stairs. He looked dead tired. His hair was so messy and he’s only wearing a simple white shirt and a cotton shorts.

“Hey…” I greeted him when he went near us. I don’t want to greet him a good morning as I know that his morning isn’t good. Kami nga lang eh. Paano pa kaya sya.

Fourth just nodded at me.

“How’s Eresh?” Aius asked. Napabuntong-hininga si Fourth dahil doon.

“She hasn’t slept a wink yet.”

“Ikaw din naman.” Archer commented. “Mukhang wala ka ding tulog.”

“You mean, lahat tayo walang tulog.” Kuya Vander said.

And he was right. Kahit kami ni Death ay hindi rin nakatulog. Hindi namin makalimutan ang nangyari kahapon. The video, the scene in that room, Eresh’ younger version, her cries, her pleads… Lahat ng iyon.

“Fourth.”

Tracer called him. Tumayo sya at lumapit kay Fourth dahil hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa iyon umuupo. On his one hand, he was holding the hard plastic container of the compact disk that ruined our yesterday.

“We didn’t watch anything. Kung ano lang ang nakita at narinig namin kahapon, iyon na ’yon.” Tracer said as he handed Fourth the compact disk. “I figured I should give it to you.”

He took it from him and stared at the disk. Nasa itsura nya na parang hindi nya kayang hawakan iyon. He looked like he’s hurting and angry at the same time.

“Fourth.” It was L who called him this time.

Napalingon ako sa kanila and I saw Alter shaking her head, like she’s trying to stop him from telling whatever he’s about to say.

“There’s no need, L. Nagawan nyo na naman ng paraan.” we heard Alter said.

“He still needs to know.” giit ni L.

“About what?” Fourth asked using his thick Bristish accent. Mukhang naguguuhan na rin sa inaakto ng dalawa.

“L, wag na kasi.” Alter said before L could say anything. I saw tears formed in the corner of her eyes. Sinulyapan sya ni L bago muling binalingan si Fourth.

“I think you should know about this.” he said. “We just checked for the possibilities. We’re not really expecting anything. But still, hindi rin naman namin naisip na may video file kaya sinubukan pa rin namin.”

“What are you talking about?” Fourth asked.

Muli kong napansin ang pag-iling ni Alter. She even held on L’s arms to stop him from saying anything. Paiyak na naman sya. Parang kahapon lang noong bago mai-play ang video. Nakita ko ang reaksyon nya kaya naisip kong may ideya na sya sa kung anong laman ng disk.

Merda … Kinakabahan na naman tuloy ako sa sasabihin ni L.

“L.” Fourth probed him. “Anong sasabihin mo?”

Sumulyap ulit si L kay Alter na patuloy ang pag-iling sa kanya. But L must’ve think that it’s important for Fourth to know about it dahil nagsalita sya.

“We saw the videos uploaded in the dark web.”

Impit na napaiyak si Alter matapos sabihin iyon ni L. She covered her face with both of her hands as she cried her hearts out. Habang ako ay napatulala na lang. Hindi ako makapaniwala na may demonyong kayang gumawa noon.

Hindi… Mas masahol pa sya sa demonyo.

“What?” Fourth breathe his question that it was almost inaudible.

“Some of the videos were uploaded.” L explained. “But we took it down. We tracked the IP address of those who downloaded it and hacked their computer and phones so we could delete the video.”

“We made sure that it was all deleted, Fourth.” It was Tracer this time. “Wala na ring sources na mapagkukunan. Iyang disk na lang… And the owner of the voice.”

Fourth looked so dazed. This is the first time I saw him speechless and couldn’t find the words to say. This is the first time I saw that he didn’t know what to do.

Like all the strength left his body, unti-unti syang napaupo sa sofa na mukhang nanghihina pa. Tears formed in the corner of my eyes as I looked at one of the strongest member of the EL Order looking so weak now. Mukhang hindi nya kinaya ang nalaman nya ngayon.

“Putangina.” I heard Plutus cursed. “Ang sarap sundan ng putanginang gagong demonyong ’yon sa impyerno para pahirapan!”

Hoax tapped him in the back. Alam kong hindi nya naintindihan ang sinabi ni Plutus dahil Tagalog pero halata naman sa tono ng boses nya ang galit. So he tried to calm him down but Plutus is livid now.

“Fuck! That fucking bastard didn’t deserve an easy death! Putangina, buhayin dapat ulit ’yon!”

He clenched his jaw at halos madurog na ang vape na hawak nya sa sobrang higpit ng pagkakakapit nya dahil sa sobrang galit.

“Tangina ng gagong ’yon! Putangina ng demonyong hayop na ’yon!”

He stopped swearing when he noticed Fourth being so silent after the revelation. Napatingin ulit ako kay Fourth na nakapatong na ang isang siko sa tuhod habang ang kamay ay tinatakpan ng mukha nya. I heard him heaved a deep breath and his shoulders started to shake.

He was crying. At tinatakpan nya ang mukha nya gamit ang kamay para hindi namin makita ang pagluha nya.

Merda! Like Plutus, I wanted to cursed and torture Eresh’s father too! Hindi nya deserve mamatay ng ganun-ganun lang after all those evilness that he’d done to her! Eresh didn’t deserve that! Nobody didn’t deserve to be treated like that!

We were silent as we let Fourth cry. Sa palagay ko ay ayaw nya talagang may makakita na umiiyak sya, patunay ang pagtatakip nya sa mukha. Pero hindi nya na nakayanan na umalis dito dahil nanghina na sya sa mga narinig nya.

He’s hurting for Eresh. He’s breaking for his Queen.

“She deserves the best. She deserves the whole world.” Fourth said. Masakit sa dibdib ang pagkabasag ng boses nya. “But fuck… why did he have to treat her that way?”

I pursed my lips when tears fell from my eyes. Hindi ko kinakaya ang sakit sa boses nya.

“He was supposed to protect her as he was her father.” he continued. “Pero bakit sya pa ang gumawa noon sa kanya?”

“Not all parents can be called as parents.” Death said.

“It’s because the former Red Faction’s King didn’t love the Queen.” sabi ni Alter. Pinupunasan nya ang mga luha sa pisngi nya pero tuloy-tuloy lang iyon. “He just married her as he wants their children to be the King and Queen of the next chess game. Pero si Ate Eresh lang ang naging anak nila dahil namatay ang Queen sa panganganak sa kanya.”

“That’s why he got so mad at her.” Archer concluded. “Gusto nyang gumanti sa pandarayang ginawa ng EL Ordre sa laro nila pero nasira nang si Eresh lang ang maging anak nya.”

Alter nodded. “For him, Ate Eresh ruined her plan. Kaya mas minahal nya si Ishtar. Kasi sya ang patunay na nakapaghiganti sya sa King ng EL Ordre by breaking his beloved woman.”

“Fuck, may tao palang kademonyohan lang ang naiisip.” Aius said.

Natahimik kami. Pinapakalma ang mga sarili namin dahil sa mga nalaman. It’s just too much for us to handle.

“Please…” Fourth said after awhile of silence. “Don’t tell this to Eresh. Mas lalo syang masasaktan. Hindi nya makakaya. I don’t want her to break even more.”

Kahit hindi nya sabihin, I know that all of us thought of the same. It is better if Eresh will not know about this. If this is too much for us, then paano pa kaya sa kanya?

It’s good that all of this happened now that Fourth is by her side. She doesn’t need to hurt by herself anymore. As Fourth is with her whom I know is willing to take all her pain and suffering.

At alam kong sobra-sobra ding nasasaktan si Fourth ngayon.

I’m hoping that they both get through this. Maybe not now, but someday.

I wish that all their pain will heal through time. As they both deserve happiness.

Chapter 19

We couldn’t think of a plan. Not now that we’re all livid. Not now that Eresh is broken. Not now that Fourth is trying to be okay for the both of them. Not now that the voice had successfully stirred our emotions.

We had training to contol our emotions if something like this will happen. Para hindi kami pangunahan ng mga emosyon namin. And I know that all of us mastered that training but this is something we just couldn’t ignore. We’re not heartless like the gamemaster. We’re not evil like Eresh’s father.

Eresh is now one of us. She’s part of the family. At mahalaga sa amin ang pinagdadaanan nya.

The voice mentioned about my brother knowing about Eresh’s past. I bet the video was the answer on how he did know about it. I don’t know if he watched it all. Pero kung sya pa rin ang kapatid ko, he wouldn’t be able to as well. At kung sya pa rin si Grayson James Sanford, paniguradong galit din sya sa ama ni Eresh.

Gray is a real gentleman. Even if he owns a bar and he could see couples and strangers making out everytime in there, he still respects woman. He’s not only the owner of his bar, he sometimes acts as a bartender, eyeing for any douche bag that will take advantage on women.

That’s why Artemis and Fatima quickly became comfortable around him.

“The voice said that it want us to watch all the videos from start to end.” Aius said as we had our meeting that day. “Pero alam naman natin na hindi natin magagawa ’yon.”

“Demonyo lang ang kayang manood ng ganoon.” Archer commented. “It’s a child pornography. It’s against the law. Sayang lang, patay na ang demonyong gumawa noon.”

“I just can’t believe that a father could do that to her own child.” Kier said.

“May mga ganyang kaso pa. A parent sexually abusing their child. Mga taong hindi dapat naging magulang.” Plutus said. “I’ve had cases like that before. Fuck. I just wanted to kill the parents who did those things to their child as I listen to the victim’s statement.”

“Yeah… Pero ang malaman na nangyari iyon sa kakilala natin, nakakagalit talaga.”

Plutus nodded at Viper’s words. “Oo, tangina. Ngayon lang ako nagalit ng ganito sa buong buhay ko.”

He puffed on his vape, trying to calm his ass down. Marahas nyang ibinuga ang usok and in just a second, coffee scent filled the room.

“So what now?” Hoax asked. “You didn’t do that voice’s condition. How can you find the Red Faction’s hideout then?”

“We’ll just work hard on finding it.” L answered.

“Kahit ano.” Alter added. “Anything except watching that video.”

Anything… except that.

But I’m sure that the voice will contact us soon. It just wanted to stir our emotions. The voice knew a lot about the EL Ordre kaya alam kong alam nyang hindi namin kayang panoorin ang videos. It knew about our past, weakness and personalities.

“I think the voice knew that Eresh is a huge help for us.” V said. Katabi sya ni Kier sa sofa at nakatingin kaming lahat sa kanila. “She targeted Eresh, her emotions, so she wouldn’t be able to give us her help while trying to fix herself.”

“May point ka.” Alter seconded. “I also think that it knew that Fourth is one of our strongest member. By targeting Eresh, it is hitting two birds with one stone.”

We heard someone walking down the stairs at nakita namin ang isa sa mga taong pinag-uusapan lang namin na bumaba sa hagdan. It was obvious on his face that he didn’t had enough sleep again and he looked so stressed but still trying to be strong.

There’s so much weight on his shoulders right now. He knows that he needs to be strong for Eresh. Eresh needs him. The videos did a lot of damage on her na hindi na nya kayang magpanggap na malakas pa.

“Hey, man.” bati sa kanya ni Archer nang makalapit sya. Pinaupo nya si Fourth sa tabi nya at inakbayan. “We’re just here. You know that. Gusto mo bang makarinig ng mga jokes ko?”

Fourth made a small smile with that pero hindi pa din iyon umabot sa mga mata nya. Archer’s just trying to lift up his mood. He knows that he needs that.

Simula noong araw na iyon ay hindi pa sya nagbibiro. Ngayon lang ulit. He really knows when to and when to not he should joke around.

“Don’t take the burden alone, Peppa Pig. You can lighten up with us.” Kier said. Fourth chuckled at that.

“I highly appreciate that.” he said. “I apologize if this slowed down the team—”

“Stop the fuck right there, English man.” Plutus cut him off. Na kung hindi nya ginawa ay ako ang gagawa. “Don’t you dare apologize for something that is not your fault. Wala kayong kasalanan ni Eresh. ’Yung putanginang ama at ang gamemaster ang dapat sisihin dito.”

Fourth smirked at him. “You certainly care for my Queen, huh?”

Plutus stared back at him. His amber eyes with a tint of red looked serious as he straed at Fourth. Walang halong pagbibiro ang makikita doon.

“We all care for her.” he said. Kahit ang tono ng boses ay seryoso. “We’re all worried for her.”

I smirked with his statement. Hanga din talaga ko sa gagong ’to. Ang lakas ng loob na ibulgar ang nararamdaman nya para kay Eresh. He’s not afraid that him and Fourth will have a misundertanding. Alam nya na malawak ang pang-unawa ni Fourth. ’Cause among all of us, si Fourth lang ang hindi nanghusga kay Eresh noon.

He waited for her to tell him her side. The side of her story and he didn’t judge her without knowing her story first. He took Gray’s favorite quote by heart. Na dapat ay ginawa ko rin.

“Thank you…” Fourth whispered but we all heard it.

“Don’t worry. We’ll find the Red Faction’s hideout even without the needs of watching those videos.” I said.

“I would highly appreciate that as I already burned the disk.” Fourth said. Halatang-halata ang Bristish accent sa pananalita nya. “I apologize if I haven’t asked for anyone’s permission before doing it.”

Plutus tsked. “Tangina. Sinabi na ngang huwag apologize.”

“And we all agreed to give the disk to you, Fourth.” Aius said. “We all gave you the rights to do whatever you want with that thing.”

Tinignan kami ni Fourth isa-isa. We are all here in the living room, except for Ishtar and Eresh na nasa kanya-kanyang mga kwarto nila at nagkukulong.

“How’s Eresh by the way?” I asked.

“She’s… trying to be fine.” Fourth answered. “Pero sinabi kong hindi nya kailangang magpanggap. If she’s not okay, then it’s fine. She needs time to heal.”

“Pero kumakain naman ba sya?” it was V who asked this time. “She’s pregnant. She needs to eat.”

Fourth smiled at her at napatulala na lang si V. She’s still not used of Fourth showing us his real smile.

“She is.” he said. “She’s eating for our child.”

“Ang strong talaga ni Ate Eresh.” Alter commented.

“If she’s that strong, then I know that she can get through it.” Auis said. “Like what you’ve said, she just needs time.”

And we’re willing to give it to her. Alam naming mabigat ang pinagdadaanan ni Eresh ngayon. She needs every support she can get. Kahit na hindi sila tumulong sa mission na ’to, we will be fine with that.

I mean, the EL Ordre did that for me before. They were being considerate with my feelings. I didn’t know that they were helping me find the murderer of my parents. They’ve done it secretly. Nalaman ko na lang noong nag-uusap usap kami tungkol doon.

So this is what they’ve felt back then. Wanting to help the co-members. Ganito pala ang pakiramdam noon.

I noticed Fourth stilled when we heard footsteps that’s coming from upstairs. At first, it was just an opening and closing of the door. Followed by a footsteps of someone who’s obviously angry.

“It’s Eresh.” sabi ni Fourth na napatayo pa kahit hindi nya pa nakikita ang may-ari ng mga yabag. I guess he memorized everything about her.

I could relate. As I am like that with my goddess.

Mabilis na humakbang si Fourth papunta sa hagdan at umakyat. I looked at the team who seemed so confused with Fourth’s actions. Mabilis namin syang sinundan at umakyat sa hagdan.

Naabutan ko pa si Eresh na pumasok sa kwarto ni Ishtar. She slammed the door open and the next thing we heard was Ishtar’s shrieked. 

“Eresh!” Fourth exclaimed. We ran to Ishtar’s room but stopped when we saw the scene inside.

Ishtar was on the floor, sitting, while Eresh’s was pulling her hair. She looked so livid habang hinihigit ang buhok ng kapatid nya.

“You know I’m not doing the first move when I’m hurting someone so weak against me.” Eresh said and pulled Ishtar’s hair harder. “But fuck it! I want to hurt you so bad!”

Ishtar was crying out of pain now. We just stood there, watching the two of them. Contemplating on what to do.

“You, little bitch!” Eresh spat at her sister. “Why were you given all the luck in the world, huh? There were so many people who loved you. So many people who protected you! You’ve got two Dads. Our father and the El Ordre’s former King!”

“Ate—”

Pinigilan ni Fourth ang tangkang pagpasok sana ni Alter sa loob ng kwarto para awatin ang dalawa. No. To stop Eresh as Ishtar isn’t fighting.

“Let her be.” Fourth said quietly. “She needs this.”

“You’ve got to live a normal life!” Eresh continued. Her grip on Ishtar’s hair were tightening with her every words. “Every people in your life supported you! Treated you like a damn princess. Pero ako? I had no one ! Only myself!”

Tears formed in the corner of her eyes. She cried in anger and in pity for herself.

“Fourth, baka kung anong mangyari sa kanya.” V said worridly but Fourth stopped her.

“This is what she needs, V.” he said. “To free her emotions. I don’t want her to hide her pain anymore.”

“She won’t hurt Ishtar anymore than that.” Kier seconded, trying to explain to his wife. “Kailangan nya lang ilabas ang galit at sakit sa puso nya. And she’s using Ishtar for that.”

She’s looking for someone to blame. As what happened to her can’t justify any reason. But because his father is now dead, she couldn’t hurt him anymore. And there’s Ishtar whom his father gave all his fatherly love that she was deprived of.

“I did everything to gain our father’s love! Kahit binaboy nya ko! Iyon lang naman ang hinihingi ko! But fuck! He treated me so low!”

Plutus chose to lean on the wall so he wouldn’t see what’s happening inside. He protected Ishtar for so long. Alam kong napalapit na rin sya kay Ishtar as he was always beside her, trying to guard her.

“Bakit ikaw? Bakit hindi ako? Bakit binigay sayo ang lahat at wala sakin? Why does it always have to be you?!” Eresh cried.

“Hindi ko naman hiningi lahat ng ’yon!” Ishtar sobbed as she said that.

“No! ’Cause you wanted more than that!” sigaw ni Eresh. “You wanted more ’cause you’re a selfish bitch! Ang kapal ng mukha mong maghangad pa ng iba samantalang binigay na sayo lahat!”

Ishtar sobbed. Ang mga kamay nya ay nakakapit sa mga kamay ni Eresh na humihigit sa buhok nya. Nobody dared to stop Eresh. We both know that not only Eresh, but also Ishtar need this. She needs to learn her lesson well. Dahil hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa rin sya humihingi ng tawad sa mga ginawa nya.

“You’ve got everything I wanted!” sigaw ni Eresh. “But fuck you for ignoring all of that!”

“Hindi ko naman kasi iyon kailangan!”

Eresh slapped her and Fourth became alerted because of that. Inabangan nya na gumanti si Ishtar pero hindi nangyari. Ishtar remained sitting on the floor, holding the cheek that Eresh just slapped as she sobbed.

“You should be thankful for everything that you have!” Eresh said. “May mga taong naiinggit sayo dahil sa mga meron ka pero binalewala mo lang! Now, you’ve lost everything! And you fucking deserve that!”

She wiped her tears away from her cheeks and stood straight as she looked down at Ishtar who is now crying so hard.

“Ang swerte mo.” she said. “Ang swerte-swerte mo. Pero noon ’yon. You know who’s lucky now?” she smirked. “It is me. I may not experienced a parental love but at least I’ve got more than what I need. More what I’ve asked for. And no matter what happened in the past, it will not stop me to be so thankful for everything I have now.”

I smiled by her words. Such a strong Queen. Kaya naman proud na proud si Fourth sa kanya.

I looked at Fourth and saw his gentle smile on his lips as he looked at his Queen. Tinapik ko sya sa balikat. I felt the same. I felt so proud that Eresh is a brave person.

She knows how to own up to her mistakes and make things right. She is strong. She is courageous. A good example for a Queen.

“I will be okay.” I heard Eresh said. “Maybe not now, but I know that I will. ’Cause I have people who’s supporting me. I have people who’s worried for me. I have people who cared for me. I have those people na binalewala mo noon. Kaya thank you, sa pambabalewala mo sa kanila. Dahil nasa akin na sila ngayon. And I will appreciate them. The thing that you didn’t do back then.”

She heard… our conversation earlier.

Plutus chuckled as he leaned his head on the wall. I couldn’t help but to smile too. My heart warms hearing those words from her.

I already know about that. That she cared for us as well. Kahit na halos katarayan at panlalait lang ang lumalabas sa bibig nya kapag magkakasama kami, I know that she started treating us as her family.

“She’s mine, you bloody wanker.” Fourth said at Plutus. Halata kasi na mas nahulog pa ang gago kay Eresh.

Plutus chuckled. “You’re a one hell lucky man.”

Fourth looked at Eresh na ngayon ay naglalakad na palabas ng kwarto with her held high. He looked at Plutus again and smirked before pulling his Queen for a hug.

“I’m fully aware of that.”

Chapter 20

I’ve never been so glad to see Ate Eresh joining us for a meal the next day. She looked like she’s still not okay but is trying to be. Hindi na sya nagkukulong ngayon sa kwarto nya. She didn’t want her past to drag her down so she’s trying to move on.

Halata pa din na may iniisip sya. She’s not attentive like before at hindi madalas na nagsusungit even after Archer started with his corny jokes again. But at least, she’s not shutting herself anymore. She’s accepting our support for her.

Sobrang saya ko when I heard her say those words yesterday. Ang laki talaga ng ipinagbago nya. Before, she always shut us out in her life. She treated me as a real sister, naramdaman ko iyon pero habnag tumatagal ay lumalayo ang loob nya sa akin. Then I remember what she said to me about love before.

That love always complicates things.

She may have thought that caring for me, loving and treating me as her little sister will be a hindrance for her plans. A hindrance for the Red Faction’s victory. The thing that she had been aiming back then.

And when Fourth came into her life, Ate Eresh changed… For good. 

Fourth helped her realized na lahat ng sinabi ng ama nya sa kanya ay walang katotohanan. That she was born only for the game. That she doesn’t have any right to live if she won’t win this game. That she is weak and wouldn’t stand a chance against the EL Ordre’s King if she won’t use her body.

Lahat ng iyon, all of that thoughts in her head, Fourth helped her removed it all. He helped her realized that she was not just a tool made for this stupid game. That she deserves to live. She deserves the whole world. At kahit na ayoko kay Fourth noon dahil magaling syang magmanipula ng tao at emosyon, nagbago iyon.

I’m glad that he’s here for Ate Eresh.

Tracer, L and I became too busy for the next few days. We’re trying to find the location of the Red Faction’s hideout. Pero habang patagal nang patagal ay mas lalong lumalabo ang pag-asa namin na makita sila.

Kapag feeling namin ay malapit na namin silang mahanap, we will all realized that it was just another trap. Kaya babalik kami ulit sa simula ng paghahanap. That was always our routine but none of us thought of giving up.

This is our only way, our only chance.

The rest of the members were just waiting for us to find the hideout. Nandoon din sila sa living room at nag-uusap ng kung ano-ano. Making us feel na hindi sila nagmamadali even if we all know that we must move fast. Nagtatawanan din sila paminsan-minsan, making us feel relaxed and not giving us any pressure that we’re in the endgame of this Bloody Human Chess game.

I looked at L beside me. He looked so serious as his fingers work on his laptop. I couldn’t help but to sigh. Ever since he woke up from coma, wala na syang ginawa kundi ang humarap sa laptop nya.

I pursed my lips and looked at my own laptop. I really hope na mahanap na namin ang hideout nila. Then we wouldn’t waste any time to get Shielder back and kill the gamemaster.

I heard Ate Eresh gasped kaya napatingin kaming lahat sa kanya. She’s holding her iPad and browsing on it since we got here in the living room.

She looked so horrified while looking at the screen. Nagkatinginan kaming lahat and the worry on our face were so obvious.

Could it be… that she saw the videos uploaded on the dark web? Pero nagawan na iyon ng paraan nila L and Tracer. They made sure that the videos were down on any website! At wala nang sources na mapagkukunan noon kundi ang disk at ang nagmamay-ari ng voice na iyon!

Did the voice uploaded it again?

I looked at L, asking him using my eyes about this. He shook his head, like telling me he’s sure that all the videos are now deleted.

“What could… possibly be wrong?” tanong ni Fourth na katabi nya. I know that we’re all thinking the same. Na baka may nakita si Ate Eresh na uploaded videos sa kung saan.

Her face looked so horrified as she looked at her iPad. Ganoon din ang expression nya nang tumingin kay Fourth.

“Oh my fucking goodness… This is not happening.” she even mumbled.

“Eresh…what is it?” Fourth asked worriedly. I noticed Tracer closed his laptop and gave his full attention to the couple.

Tahimik kami habang naghihintay sa sagot ni Ate Eresh. Sobrang lakas ng tibok ng puso ko. I don’t think she’ll be able to take it if she knew that the videos were uploaded and other people had downloaded and watched it. Alam namin iyon kaya pinili namin na ilihim na lang sa kanya.

It’s a white lie. We just want to protect her as she is so important for us. Masyado na syang nasaktan sa mga kahayupang ginawa ng ama nya sa kanya and she deserves to move on and be happy.

Ate Eresh looked at Fourth who seemed so anxious as he wait for her to tell him what the problem is. Pati tuloy ako ay kinakabahan. Wala pa naman akong lollipop sa bulsa ko!

“Loki…” she said, almost seemed defeated. “I have no chance!”

“Saan?” Fourth asked. Ate Eresh showed him her iPad.

“My favorite lingerie store is on sale! Fuck! They didn’t notify me! Paano pa ko makakabili nyan? For sure ubos na if makarating ako doon!”

Fourth stared at her. Hindi nakapagsalita bago inilipat ang tingin sa iPad ni Ate Eresh. She continued on whining as she browsed on her iPad. Then she will groan if may matipuhan sya na lingerie na naka-post sa website ng favorite store nya.

“I forgot that she is the Mad Queen.” naiiling na bulong ni L sa tabi ko and started to work with his lapotop again.

Hindi ko tuloy alam kung matatawa ako o manghihinayang sa kabang naramdaman ko kanina. I was really nervous! Akala ko talaga ay about sa vieos na iyon! Lahat kami ay kinabahan then she will tell us that it was just about her favorite lingerie store having on sale?!

Nakita kong napakamot na lang sa batok nya si Archer habang si Plutus ay natatawa na lang. The relief in the air is so obvious as we hear Ate Eresh whines nonstop.

“Can’t you call them and ask to reserve the item to you?” tanong ni Fourth with all seriousness na parang malaking problema nga ang inirereklamo ni Ate Eresh.

“No. They displayed all the items in the store.”

“Let me call them, then.” Fourth said. Inilabas pa talaga ang cellphone nya.

“What are you doing? No reservation nga daw.” Ate Eresh said and Fourth smirked at her.

“Then I’ll just have to tell them that they’re speaking the the Prince Alexander of York.”

Bagay nga silang dalawa. Magaling mang-power trip.

Pinagpatuloy na lang namin ang paghahanap sa Red Faction ng kalaban while the royal couple got too busy with ordering the items from the store. Mukhang pumayag ang store owner na i-reserve sa kanila ang item nang malaman kung sino ang kausap nya.

Natakot siguro na baka sya ang maging dahilan ng pag-aaway between the United Kingdom and the Philippines dahil hindi nya pinagbigyan ang kapritso ng fiancee ng isang Prince Alexander of York.

Mabuti pa ako, simple lang ang gusto. Ang lollipop at si L.

“I have something for you, Alter.” Ate Eresh said.

After a while, I heard the chat notification on my laptop. Itinigil ko muna ang ginagawa ko para tignan kung ano ang sinend nya.

“I bought one for you as well. Wear that, okay?”

Huli na nang ma-realized ko kung ano ang ibig sabihin nya. I had already opened her message and clicked on the attachment that she sent. Bumungad sa screen ng laptop ko ang isang red lingerie na sobrang daring kahit tignan pa lang.

“Ate!” saway ko, trying to close the tab pero sa sobrang taranta ko ay hindi ko maisara iyon. Parang nakalimutan ko bigla na magaling ako sa computers.

“What? I’m sure it’ll look good on you.” she said while smirking before she looked at L beside me. “What do you think, L?”

L, who was still busy looking at his laptop, looked up at Ate Eresh. And when he realized her question, he looked at my laptop screen and to my horror, he saw the lingerie bago ko pa mai-close ang tab!

“Oh… He’s blushing.” Ate Eresh teased him.

And she’s right. Pagkalingon ko kay L, pulang-pula nga ang mukha nya na umabot pa sa tenga hanggang sa leeg nya.

“I think he just imagined you wearing that lingerie.” pang-aasar pa ni Ate Eresh at pati ako ay namula na.

“Ate naman, eh.” pagrereklamo ko na halos ipadyak pa ang mga paa sa kahihiyaan at pagkainis. “Bakit ikaw? I’m sure Fourth was imagining you wearing those lingerie that you’ve just ordered!”

“Oh, he’s not a fan on lingeries.” Ate Eresh said, waving her hands in the air like dismissing the thought. “He prefers me without anything on.”

Fourth chuckled and pulled her for a hug to kiss her on her temple. Parang proud pa sya sa sinabi ni Ate Eresh tungkol sa kanya. I heard Kier chuckled na nakatanggap ng kurot sa tagiliran mula sa asawa nyang namumula na din ang mukha dahil sa topic namin ngayon.

“Hustisya naman para sa mga hindi kasama ang mga asawa nila.” Archer said and I know that he’s pertaining to his wife.

Tracer chuckled.

“Hustisya din para sa isa dyan na durog na ang puso.”

“Tangina nyo.” pagmumura ni Plutus.

“Gago, tinamaan!” Archer exclaimed and Aius, Tracer and him laughed their ass out.

Geez… The fucker friends.

I noticed Ate Eresh looking at the rest of us with a gentle expression on her face. I’ve never seen her like this before. Na parang tuwang-tuwa sya sa mga nakikita nya. That she’s happy that there are people surrounding her.

Masanay ka na, Ate. ’Cause we will always be here for you. Even when the day comes that you won’t need us anymore.

“Thank you.”

Natigil sa asaran sina Aius, Plutus, Archer at Tracer nang marinig namin ang mga salitang iyon mula kay Ate Eresh. Suddenly, the room fell silent as we stared at her.

“For understanding me. For being worried for me. For the care and… love.”

Para akong tanga. Nangingiti ako pero gusto ko namang umiyak. My heart feels so warm as I heard her say her thanks for us! Na hindi naman kailangan as we’re doing and feeling it out of our own free will.

“I’ve never experienced having a family before. Even with my chess pieces.” she continued. “With all of you being around me, who’s supporting me, who cares and being worried for me is just so overwhelming.”

“Ano yung sinabi mo nung una? ’Di ko kasi narinig. Ang ingay nila Hunter, eh!” ang mapanira sa mood na sabi ni Archer.

“Ba’t ako sinisisi mo, Creed?” Tracer said and suddenly, nagtawagan na sila sa totoong mga pangalan nila.

Ate Eresh glared at him.

“Okay. Since you are all stupid, saying it once will not be enough so I’m gonna say it again one last time.” she sighed before rolling her eyes. “For all the support, the worries, for the care and love that you made me feel, I am so thankful for all of that. I’m glad that I am a part of the EL Ordre family. So… thank you.”

We all smiled at her. Telling her that we appreciate it with our smile. Telling her that she all deserve it. She deserves to be happy.

I’m glad that I am a part of the EL Ordre family. So… thank you.

“Wha—”

“Ay, sorry. Na-play ko pala.” sabi ni Archer sabay tap sa phone nya.

“Oh my God! Did you just—”

Archer grinned at Ate Eresh who looked so shocked and horrified now.

“I will play this everytime you insult anyone of us!”

“Shit!” Ate Eresh cursed. “Delete that, you stupid lumpia glutton!”

I’m glad that I am a part of the EL Ordre family. So… thank you.

“Fuck you! I so fucking hate you!”

I’m glad that I am a part of the EL Ordre family. So… thank you.

“Ugh!” Ate Eresh groaned before she looked at Fourth. “Can I kill him?”

I’m glad that I am a part of the EL Ordre family. So… thank you.

“Loki!” inis na sigaw ni Ate Eresh sa pangalan ng fiance na pero tinawanan lang sya. “I so fucking hate you all!”

I’m glad that I am a part of the EL Ordre family. So… thank you.

“Gago, papasa nga nyan.” said Plutus na ikinatawa ko.

“Ako din. Para di na sumama loob ko kapag nilalait tayo ni Eresh.” Aius said at lumapit pa talaga sila kay Archer.

Tracer grinned and closed his laptop before he stood up. “Papasa din.”

In just a second, all of the EL Ordre members asked Archer to send them the voice recording of Ate Eresh saying thank you to us. Habang si Ate Eresh naman ay halos maiyak lang sa sobrang inis. Sa tabi nya ay si Fourth na nakayakap sa kanya pero tumatawa naman.

I know that they just did this to tease her. So she could forget what happened, about the videos. So she could be comfortable with us now. Na walang halong kahihiyan dahil sa videos na iyon.

’Cause it’s obvious. That she’s embarrased because her being sexually assaulted by her father was caught in a video.

Kaya naman ginawa iyon ni Archer. And I’m thankful for him that he did that. ’Cause from now on, I’m sure that Ate Eresh will be comfortable around us again.

And just like her… I am also glad that I am a part of the EL Ordre family.

Chapter 21

I was breathing heavily and my stance were on guard as I looked at my opponent. He has a small cut on his left cheek, the wound that I made nang mahagip ko sya ng sipa ko kanina. But it wasn’t enough. I know that a small cut like that wouldn’t do any damage on this man.

While me, I was already panting. Mabilis din akong pinagpawisan kaagad sa kaunting galaw lang. And… I feel tired easily. I think that this is an effect of my pregnancy as I’m now on my seventh week.

Merda! It just means that I will have a hard time on the actual battle!

I looked at Archer who was on his defense while waiting for me to attack him. He knows my moves dahil sa daming beses na naming nagkasama sa mga mission. He probably memorized it all. At alam nyang I always take the first move.

“C’mon, V. Getting rusty now, aren’t we?” he smirked which made my blood boil.

“Oh, fuck you!”

He laughed. “Kier, oh! Pasmado bibig ng asawa—”

He wasn’t able to finish his sentence when I attacked him. He blocked my punch at mabilis na prinotektahan ang tagiliran nya as I aimed for that when I tried to kick him sideways. He was crouching as he tries to protect his face and waist with his arms.

I kept on attacking him and he just keeps on protecting the vital parts of his body. I didn’t give him any chance to see an opening with my attacks but I know that he was just waiting for me to get tired. So before that happens, I must do my plan.

Panay ang atras nya habang sinasalag ang bawat mga atake ko hanggang sa ang likod nya ay mapasandal na sa post ng ring. I didn’t stop on attacking him at dahil wala nang matatakasan ay tumatama ang suntok ko sa katawan nya kung minsan.

I tried to kneed him to where it hurts the most but he was able to block my knee. He was holding it with two hands, parang takot na takot talagang matamaan ko ang parte ng katawan nyang iyon.

He chuckled.

“Oh, not that part. Gagamitin ko agad ’yan pagkapanganak ni Maria.” he said before he pushed the knee that he was holding kaya muntik na akong mawalan ng balanse.

Merda! Naiinis na ko! I so wanna hit that part of him!

We were at the training room and we decided to train our fighting skills habang hindi pa nahahanap ng mga trackers ang hideout ng Red Faction. We’ve got nothing to do anyway and it is so much better to prepare ourselves with the final battle.

I really think that this endgame will get so much bloody. I know that the gamemaster already has an idea that we are planning to kill him when Eresh chose to be on our side. Ang alas na lang nya laban sa amin ay si Shielder na hawak pa rin nila hanggang ngayon.

I don’t know if he will hire unprofessional goons against us but he knew better. He’s the gamemaster and he has an idea on what we could do. He was there. And Eresh said that he was watching the Red Faction everytime they had a training on their training room. Probably to memorize their moves and skills. To know everyone’s weaknesses.

But then, he won’t be a gamemaster if he’s just an ordinary person. It’s either that someone is backing him up, who can provide people that can match up against our skills. Or maybe… the gamemaster himself has the power to go against us. After all, this game wouldn’t start if not.

But… who the heck is he?

Because I got distracted with my thoughts, I was surprised when Archer gave me a punch on my tummy. It wasn’t that hard but it was still a punch, enough for me na mapaatras hanggang sa mapaupo ako sa sahig ng ring with my butt landed first on the floor.

I looked at Archer. He was surprised as well! Mukhang hindi nya inaasahan na tatamaan ako ng suntok nya. I figured that it was a faint attack that he purposely made ’cause he knew that I’ll be able to block it. Pero dahil distracted ako kanina ay hindi ko nagawa.

I yelped in surprise when I landed on the floor. Napahawak ako sa tyan ko, pinapakiramdaman kung may mali sa pagbagsak o sa suntok na natanggap ko mula kay Arccher.

Merda! Magagalit na naman si Death kapag may nangyari na naman sa aking masama!

“V!” I heard Archer called my name. He sounded worried pero hindi naman lumapit.

I heaved a deep breath before I crouched my body, like I’m protecting my tummy or I’m in pain.

“Ouch!” daing ko.

“Oh, shit.” dinig kong mura ni Archer at ilang sandali lang ay naramdaman ko na agad sya sa tabi ko. “Call an ambulance!”

Merda!

Dahil sa isinigaw nya, I know na lalapit din si Death so I quickly took action. While Archer is still panicking, thinking that he just killed the baby on my tummy, I grabbed his one arm, twisted it behind his back and kneed his back so he would fell face first on the floor. Nakadapa na sya sa sahig habang ang isang braso nya ay pinipilipit ko sa likuran nya at ang tuhod ko ay nakadagan sa likod nya, preventing him to move or to stand up.

“That’s cheating!” he whines when he realized what I just did.

I chuckled. “No, Archer. That’s called acting.”

He groaned and tapped the floor three times using his free hand. “Damn it! I surrender.”

I grinned. Pinakawalan ko sya at tumayo na. While Archer rolled over and remained lying on the floor as he catch his breath.

“Are you okay?” tanong ni Death na nasa tabi ko na nga. Siguro ay papunta na talaga dito nang magpanic si Archer kanina.

I showed him an okay sign and winked at him. “Totally okay.”

“Madaya ’yang asawa mo, Kamatayan!” Archer whines.

“Just admit that you’re really stupid to fall for simple tricks like that.” Eresh said, sitting on one side of the room to watch the training. Sa tabi nya ay si Fourth na tahimik lang ding nakatingin sa banda namin.

Archer frowned. Then he fished for his phone inside his pocket and tapped on something.

I’m glad that I am a part of EL Ordre Family. So… thank you.

Aius, Plutus and Kuya Vander chuckled when they heard that. Maging si Death pero sinamaan ko sya ng tingin. Mamaya mag-away na naman kami ni Eresh. Ayoko nang mabasagan ng vase sa ulo.

Eresh rolled her eyes and stood up. Walang sabi-sabi syang lumabas ng training room, kasunod si Fourth na katatapos lang din namang mag-training. We decided to end the training that day.

We got back to the living room at kung paano namin iniwan ang tatlo doon ay ganoon pa rin ang itsura nila. They looked so stressed and pressured as a week had passed by but they haven’t gotten anywhere yet.

Not that we are pressuring them. It’s also a good thing to train before the final fight. Para mas maging handa ang mga katawan namin. Dahil hindi namin alam kung sino na ang mga makakaharap namin sa endgame besides the gamemaster, Yucca and King Lancer.

Why do I feel like that the gamemaster will use someone against us that did training like us? Kung sino man ang mga iyon, I have no idea.

We decided to take a rest in the living room as Death prepares snacks for us. He helped me wiped my sweat off my body after he’s done.

“Can I ask who you’re fight against with?” Eresh asked so suddenly kaya napatingin kami sa kanya.

“’Yung gamemaster. Nakalimutan mo na ba?” Archer answered t tinignan sya ni Eresh na parang napaka-stupid nya.

“I’m not talking to you.” she said and looked at the trackers. “What I mean is, who built the firewall that you need to breached?”

“It’s my brother.” Tracer answered. “He’s using the codes that I taught him.”

“If it’s your codes, then bakit hindi mo ma-decrypt? Shouldn’t it be easy for you since it’s your codes?” Eresh asked. “I have no idea about hacking but I wanna help you by giving ideas but please elaborate to me what’s happening.”

Tracer sighed. Inilapag nya muna ang laptop nya sa coffee table so he could give his full attention to Eresh.

“I was the one who taught my brother about hacking, about codes, about computers.” Tracer started. “But he was born with those skills. Kahit hindi turuan, he can learn it on his own unlike me. So being an inborn genius in computers, he enhanced the codes that I gave him.”

“So you’re admitting that he is better than you.”

“Yes.” walang pag-aalinlangan na sagot ni Tracer sa sinabi ni Eresh. “My codes plus his own codes and own way of hacking, he can easily built a firewall that I wouldn’t be able to breach.”

Natahimik si Eresh. Halatang iniisip ng mabuti ang mga sinabi ni Tracer and it’s obvious that she’s thinking of a plan. Actually, after Tracer’s explanation, hindi ko pa rin naman maintindihan so I chose not to say anything.

“He watched L doing hacking as well.” Fourth said. “I’m certain that he understood his codes by just watching him if, as what Tracer had said, he’s a real genius with computers.”

“So he knows the codes and way of hacking of the EL Ordre’s trackers.” Eresh muttered before her gaze went to Alter. “That leaves you, Alter.”

Nagulat si Alter nang mabanggit ang pangalan nya. “Huh? Anong ako?”

Eresh took a deep breath.

“Shielder doesn’t know what codes you’re using and doesn’t have any idea on the way you hack. Plus, you did breached Tracer’s and L’s firewall before. You broke down their securities.”

“Oh, damn.” L mumbled before he chuckled.

 “Damn, Fourth.” Tracer smirked. “Ang talino ng Queen mo.”

“It’s a right thing to make her our plan maker.” Aius said.

Mukhang nagkaintindihan ang lima. Tracer, L, Aius, Fourth and Eresh habang kami ay walang alam sa mga nangyayari. I really don’t have any idea about hacking and codes kaya wala talaga akong maitindihan sa mga pinagsasabi nila!

And seems like, Alter as well.

“Bakit? Anong nangyayari?” she asked and Eresh smiled sweetly at her.

“You have a big chance to breach King Lancer’s firewall and track them if we will use your codes, Alter.” she explained. “I’m sure that he built the firewall, knowing that Tracer and L will try to break it so he used the codes that were against them.”

“But if we will use your codes, we may have a chance ’cause Shielder doesn’t know about yours.” L said.

“All we have to do is to enhanced it, Alter.” it was Tracer this time. “Afterall, you’re the one who found him before.”

“Pero I’m sure that it wasn’t his full ability!” kontra ni Alter. “He purposely let me find him ’cause it was their plan!”

“Still, you were able to break his codes.” Eresh said.

“I thought that I’ll be able to find him since he’s my brother.” Tracer said. “Pero mukhang mali ako. I think It will be you again, Alter.”

Halata ang kaba sa mukha ni Alter. The pressure got on her. Parang sa kanya kasi napunta ang responsibility sa paghahanap kay Shielder dahil sya lang ang may tyansang makahanap sa kanya.

L sighed beside her. He fished something out of his pocket. It was a lollipop. Binalatan nya muna iyon bago ibigay kay Alter na hindi naman kinuha.

“Codee…” L called her name gently. “We will still help you. We will help you enhance your skills and codes. And in no time, I know that you’ll be able to find him again.”

“Paano kung hindi, this time?” Alter worriedly asked. “I’m scared to disappoint you all—”

She stopped talking when L held her cheeks with both of his hands and made her look at him. Eye to eye.

“Trust your skills, Alter.” he said. “Diba nga? Ikaw ang pinakamagaling na tracker sa ating tatlo? If you’ll be able to defeat Shielder, ikaw na ang pinakamagaling sa lahat.”

Napasimangot si Alter doon. Para kasing nagbibiro si L sa mga sinabi nya. But I guess it was effective since she smiled in the end.

“Nakakainis ka naman, eh.” she whines but has a smile on her face. L chuckled and kissed her forehead.

“I believe in you, Codee. I hope you’ll belive in yourself too.”

She finally took the lollipop from him and ate it. I guess that’s her way of saying that she’s accepting this challenge.

She looked at her laptop and smiled.

“I guess I will need more lollipop.”

Chapter 22

A sigh had escape from my lips when I noticed a message that was sent to me. I glanced sideways, trying to see if someone’s looking at me but L and Alter were so busy trying to track the Red Faction’s hideout. I took a deep breath before I decided to open the message.

It was a coded message. I need to decipher it first before I could read the real message behind it. It won’t be that hard for me though as I am so used to this.

Fuck it. I want this game to be over so bad. I wanna see my goddess and the twins. I wanna be with my brother again.

I couldn’t help but to imagine my brother taking care of his nephews. Mahilig pa naman sa mga bata ang isang ’yon. He’s good wih kids. He’s good with taking care of someone. Kaya naging kampante rin kaming ipabantay sa kanya ang mga importanteng tao sa amin noon.

I smirked when I remembered him whining as he took care of Artemis before. He couldn’t tame her. Kaya nga nagawang takutin ni Artemis at nasabi nya kung nasaan ako.

My smile faded. I’m sure that he’ll be glad if he could see his nephews and hold them in his arms.

“Tracer.”

I looked at L and he showed me something on his lapotop. I immediately closed the message and deleted it before I gave my full attention to him.

“This is what Alter used when she breached the firewall back then.” he explained. “Kaya nya nakuha ang information ng parents mo.”

“We combined our codes back then when we built the firewall, right?” I tried to clarify. “We used yours and mine.”

He nodded. “Diba sinabi ni Fourth na natutunan din ni Shielder the way I hack by only watching me? If that is true, maybe he’s using yours, mine and his own codes against us.”

I nodded at that. Fuck. I can’t believe that my brother will be so good at this. He was just curious back then about hacking. Kaya tinuruan ko. I was thinking that maybe he should learn the basic as well. In case that something bad will happen to me at mawawalan ng katulong si L sa pagiging tracker. That’s why I decided to teach him.

I just never thought that I will go against him one day.

“Do you think this is it?” L asked. “The one that we should enhance?”

“Paanong enhance ba?” Alter asked. “Ang tagal ko kaya bago na-breach ang firewall nyo noon! Pinagalitan muna ko ni Ate Eresh bago ko magawa!”

“Should I scold you, then?” Eresh asked. She was browsing on her iPad again, hindi na tumingin kay Alter nang tinanong iyon.

“Use another codes. Work them with this.” I explained. Itinuro ko pa ang mga codes na ginamit nya noon. “Make sure it will be powerful to go against Shielder and breach the wall he built.”

Alter frowned. Napalabi pa sya and with her expression, I could feel the stress that we put in her.

I grinned. She’s still young pero ganito na agad ang kinakaharap nya. How old was she when she first worked with the Red Faction? At hanggang ngayon ay nandito pa rin sya.

She should be out there, enjoying her life with L, enjoying their lives as a couple.

But we’re all here, stuck in this fucking game.

I received another message and it was notified with a sound kaya napatingin sa akin ang iba. I bit the insides of my cheeks when I saw that it was a voicemail.

“A voicemail.” I said. And with those two words, it was enough to bring the tension inside the room.

I know that we’re all thinking the same. That it was from that voice. The voice who sent us the questions that we need to answer as it said that it will give us the Red Faction’s location if we could answer all of them. That same voice that gave us the compact disk.

We didn’t mean to pero lahat kami ay napatingin kay Eresh. I guess that we really are thinking the same. We all thought that since that voice gave so much damage in her, she should decide on what to do with it.

“It’s obvious.” Plutus said. “We should just ignore and delete it.”

“Yeah… I think that voice is not up for something good.” Hoax said na kabababa lang matapos siguruhing nakakain na si Ishtar.

I looked at Eresh and her gaze turns cold. She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned her back on the sofa before she crossed her legs. She closed her eyes. Nagsalubong ang mga kilay nya na parang nag-iisip ng malalim.

The way her eyebrows creased shows how much the videos affected her. She rarely shows us a troubled expression before. I even think that it was the first time that I saw having an expression like this.

Si Fourth ay tahimik sa tabi nya. He didn’t say anything nor give his opinion about this. I think that he will support whatever Eresh’s decision will be and his opinion won’t relly matter.

A loyal King to his Queen.

“Can we at least… listen to it… before… deleting it?” ang paputol-putol na salita ni V na nag-aalangan. May ngiwing makikita sa mga labi nya. “Alam ko naman na hindi na natin tatanggapin ang sasabihin nya but maybe, it will give a clue about the game?”

“Are you thinking that it’s the gamemaster?” Kier asked his wife.

“I’m not sure.” she answered. “ I mean, para kasing kilalang-kilala nya tayo.“

“Yeah…” Viper agreed. “Alam nya ang mga nangyayari sa loob ng laro.”

“But it’s playing with us.” Aius said. “Pinaglalaruan nya tayo. It’s trying to stir our emotions and using it as our weakness before the real game.”

Nobody dared say anything when the King gave his statement. I guess that they all saw his point.

Tinignan ko sila isa-isa bago ibinalik ang tingin ko sa natanggap na voicemail. I looked at Alter who seemed oblivious with what’s happening around her at ang trabaho lang ang inaatupag. She looked pressured dahil sa kagustuhan na mahanap agad ang Red Faction

I heaved a deep breath.

“Eresh.” I called her.

She opened her eyes and our gaze met.

“I will leave the decision to you but I want to tell you what I have observed.” I said.

I could feel their gaze on mine. Tahimik at ang tanging maririnig lang ay ang mabilis na pagtitipa ni Alter sa laptop nya. They were all serious. Siguro ay nakita nila ang kaseryosohan sa sinasabi ko.

“It is true that the voice might know who we are and what happened so far in the game.” I started. “Alam nya ang existence ng Bloody Human Chess game. Alam nya ang rules. Alam nya ang nangyari kina Ishtar at Aius. It knows when was our game started.”

“So ang gamemaster nga?” Archer asked. Tumingin muna ako sa kanya bago umiling.

“I don’t know. I have no idea.” I said. “All I know is, with those questions it asked, alam nyang babalikan natin ang mga lugar na malaki ang kinalaman sa game, sa pagkatao natin. Aius going back to that unit. Me going back to the Sanford’s house. Eresh going back to their old mansion. I think it purposely asked that question para balikan natin ang lahat ng iyon.”

“It’s trying to stir our emotions.” Aius said again.

“Maybe… but maybe not.” I said. “Nothing bad happened when we went back to those places.”

“They tried to kill us at the restaurant.” Fourth reminded me and I nodded.

“But they didn’t.” I said. “It has all the chance to kill you. Nahati pa nga kayo sa dalawang grupo noon and you had a wounded man to take care off. Pero hindi nila kayo sinundan.”

“What are you trying to say, then?” L asked. Si Alter na nasa tabi nya ay abala pa din sa tinatrabaho nya.

I looked at my laptop again. The newly received voicemail was blinking, begging me to open and to listen to it. I pursed my lips and looked at the team.

“I’m saying that the voice is actually helping us.” I said. “It helped us face our past, our nightmares. It’s helping us prepare for the endgame.”

“So you’re telling me that by showing me those videos and ordering us to watch it all, it’s actually helping me?” Eresh sarcastically asked.

I could understand her. Masyadong malaking damage ang nagawa sa kanya dahil sa mga iyon. She broke down in front of us. Nagkulong sa loob ng kwarto nya ng mga ilang araw and I could feel the embarrassment she felt with us when she got out of her room again.

But then… the situation helped her to be strong. To let her know that there are people who’s willing to support and care for her. And because of that, the EL Ordre’s bond got even stronger than before.

“Eresh…” I called her name softly. “Without you going back to your old mansion, you wouldn’t be aware of that videos.”

We wouldn’t have check the web for those. We wouldn’t have learned that it was even uploaded and there were other people who had watched it. We wouldn’t be able to delete it and make sure that those downloaded videos will be deleted as well. At wala na ding mapagkukunang iba pang source.

As I’m sure that the voice won’t upload it.

I saw Fourth’s eyes lit up. Nakuha nya ang pinupunto ko. I know that he now thought of this as well. Na ginawa iyon ng nagmamay-ari ng boses so we would be aware of the videos being uploaded on the dark web.

Eresh looked at Fourth. Napatingin din si Fourth sa kanya. She frowned with his expression. She could see that Fourth’s understood my reason but still not saying anything as he respects her decision.

She sighed before she looked at me.

“But the voice sounded like it’s a bitch or an asshole with it’s annoying laugh.”

I couldn’t help but to smile at that.

“Sa tingin ko sinadya nya ’yon. So we will think that it wasn’t actually helping us.” I sighed and looked at her with all seriousness. “As what I’ve said, I’m just telling you what I have observed. Nasa iyo pa rin kung anong gusto mong gawin sa voicemail na ’to.”

Eresh went silent for a second. Napatingin sya kay Fourth. I think she’s trying to find the answer about what she should do in his eyes. But no matter what her decision will be, Fourth will support that. He hold her hands to tell that to her with just his gestures.

She sighed before she looked at me and rolled her eyes.

“Alright.” she said. “We’re gonna listen first to that fucking filthy voice at kapag may hindi ako nagustuhan, then we will proceed the plan of Alter against King Lancer.”

The Queen has spoken.

I chuckled as I smirked at her.

“You have my word on that.”

Chapter 23

Tracer tapped something on the keyboard of his laptop to play the voicemail. Walang nangahas na magsalita habang hinihintay naming marinig ulit ang pamilyar na boses na iyon. The tension was getting thick in the air.

I looked at Eresh. Hindi halata sa mukha nya ang kabang nararamdaman but base on how tight her grip on Fourth’s hand, it was obvious that she’s anxious. Hindi nya lang pinapahalata. Only to Fourth. Only to him.

Nag-isang guhit ang mga labi ko bago ibinalik ang tingin kay Tracer. The next second, we all heard that robotic voice again.

“Hello again, chess pieces.”

I heard them took a deep breath. Kung sa ibang pagkakataon ay matatawa ako. Sabay-sabay kasi nilang ginawa iyon. It’s obvious that we all feel the same.

I looked at Death beside me. His side profile looked so serious. Sa isang direksyon lang nakatingin ang mga mata nya at hindi na bumaling sa iba. His mismatched eyes were looking seriously at Tracer’s laptop.

Patuloy kong pinagmasdan ang asawa ko. Nakaupo sya sa tabi ko habang ang mga siko ay nakapatong sa mga tuhod nya at magkasiklop ang mga kamay. He’s taking it all seriously. His jaw moved when he clenched his teeth like he’s annoyed that he heard that voice again.

He looked at me, probably he felt that I’m staring too much at him. He sighed and leaned his back on the sofa before he put an arm around my shoulders. I immediately felt relaxed when I feel his body warmth again. Like I am all safe now he’s holding me.

“As expected, you wouldn’t be able to watch those videos! Naka-ilang minuto kayo? I bet you only last a seconds!” the voice chuckled like it just said a funny thing. “The infamous bond of EL Ordre.”

The voice tsked several times. Napatingin agad ako kay Eresh. Sigurado kasi akong naiinis na sya ngayon. At mainis lang sya ng kaunti ay ipapatigil nya na ang pakikinig.

“Tell me that what it’s about to say is still worth to the ears.” she said. Halata ang pagpipigil ng inis sa kanya.

Tracer paused it first.

“Itigil na ba?” he asked.

They all looked at Eresh. It’s obvious that they still want to hear whatever it will say. We are all curious but since she was the one who got hurt the most among all of us, we will respect her decision.

She sighed. Humigpit ang kapit ng kamay nya kay Fourth bago sumandal sa upuan para kalmahin ang sarili.

“Continue.”

Merda … I wish I am as strong like her.

Tracer smirked. He looked at his laptop and played the voicemail again.

“I quite expected this anyway. Hindi na rin ako nagulat.” the voice said. “You are all being considerate with the Mad Queen. You still treat her as one of you even after what she’d done in the past. Even after all her madness… You still forgave her. What a strong heart you all have.”

Napatingin ako sa sahig. I guess it’s right. We all have a strong hearts. Especially Tracer. He was the one who got affected the most, as well as his brother, pero nagawa nyang patawarin si Eresh. He knew that there’s still something good in her.

And I’m glad that he did. ’Cause just like us, Eresh is just a victim as well. And we just couldn’t blame her if after everything she experienced, she still wanted to live. Hindi namin pwedeng alisin ang kagustuhang iyon sa kanya. We couldn’t invalidate her still wanting to hold on to life.

“Ang laki ng kasalanang ginawa nya sa inyo but you all act like her emotions really matter.” the voice continued. “I guess that even if I was your only chance left to find the Red Faction’s hideout, you won’t stop looking for another way. At kung hindi kayo makahanap, then you will make one insted.”

We will, really. ’Cause she’s now a part of the family. We saw her tried so hard to make everything’s right. She helped us. Kahit na sandali pa lang ay malaki na ang naitulong nya sa amin.

She’s full of pride as she knows that she’s a Queen. Pero ibinaba nya ang pride nyang iyon para gawin ang tama.

“Is it praising us or…” Archer tariled off.

Actually, hindi ko din alam.

“Now I’m sure that it’s not the gamemaster.” Eresh said.

“You sure?” Aius asked her and she nodded.

“Well, the gamemaster is playing with us, right?” she asked. Nakataas ang isang kilay nya. “He wants us to kill each other. That’s his goal. And someone like him wouldn’t spout things like what we just heard.”

“So it’s praising us.” Archer concluded.

“But it still has an annoying voice.” Eresh said.

Silence was heard after that. We were all thinking who is the owner of the voice and why is it helping us… Kung totoo man na tinutulungan nya nga kami. Why does it need to keep it’s identity as a secret?

I thought that Tracer paused the video again. Ilang segundo na kasi ang lumipas that we haven’t heard anything from the voice. Pero nang tumingin ako kay Tracer, saktong tumingin din sya sa laptop nya nang nakakunot ang noo at may halong pagtataka sa mukha.

“What—”

“Anyway.” the voice said before Tracer could finish his question. “Pinahanga nyo ko so I still wanna help you. This is your last chance. Take it or leave.”

“Leave it.” Eresh said.

Napatingin kaming lahat sa kanya. Eresh looked at us and she rolled her eyes.

“I’m just kidding! It’s not like it could hear me though.”

Napangiti na lang ako dahil sa katarayan nya na naging triple yata ngayong buntis na sya. It’s her first time being pregnant kaya grabe ang epekto ng pregnancy hormones nya sa kanya. And even if most of the members here were men, hanga din ako sa pagpapasensya nila kay Eresh. I don’t think that there’s a time na nainis sila sa kanya ngayong naging parte sya ng EL Ordre. They knew that she’s just really like that.

“I’ll give you two hours for this next question.” we heard the voice said. “If I don’t receive anything from you after that time, then I’m taking it as you don’t really want my help.”

I shifted on my seat. Suddenly, I feel so uncomfortable right now. Death noticed it kaya napatingin sya sa akin. I looked at him and smiled before I shook my head to let him know that there’s nothing to worry about.

“The next and final question…” lahat kami ay nakaabang sa sasabihin ng boses na iyon.

“Bakit feeling ko bumalik ako sa pagiging estudyante?” Archer mumbled pero dahil tahimik ay narinig naming lahat. Plutus shushed him before the voice spoke again.

“Tell me the reason why the EL Ordre and the Red Faction became enemies.”

“Hindi naman ’yan tanong, eh.”

Inis na napatingin na si Plutus kay Archer.

“Hindi mo ba talaga kayang patahimikin ’yang tanginang bibig mo?”

Archer chuckled. “Pero hindi naman kasi talaga sya nagtanong!”

“It should be easy for you.” The voice said kaya napatahimik ang dalawang nagtatalo. “V could just ask her father. Afterall, the game started to get bloody because of him.”

They all looked at me. Death’s hand on my shoulder tightened and he pulled me closer to him. Idinikit nya ang tungki ng ilong nya sa gilid ng ulo ko before he whispered.

“Remember, it’s trying to stir our emotions.” he said.

He’s right. Halos mapatawa na talaga ako. I guess I’m the target this time, huh?

“Two hours. I will give the Red Faction’s location if you can answer it right.” muling sabi ng boses. “Goodluck, chess pieces.”

The voicemail ended after that. Wala munang nagsalita mula sa amin. It was like we’re digesting what the voice had said to us. Or nobody really knows what to say after that.

We only listened to it without the thought of accepting it’s help again after the damage it did with Eresh. Even after Tracer explained what he thought about it, that it’s helping us faced our nightmares, our past so we could finish this game with clear minds. With no hard feelings.

So we could move on as well after this game.

“I just thought of something.” Kuya Vander said.

We all looked at him. Mula sa pagkakasandal sa sofa ay itinukod nya ang mga siko sa tuhod nya. Pinagsiklop nya ang mga daliri nya at tumingin sa amin. His eyes were serious. The scar below his left eye made his face looked dark.

“Dahil sa sinabi ni Tracer, I suddenly thought of this idea.” he said. “The voice… it’s like it wants us to know everything.”

“That’s what I thought as well.” Aius seconded. “Noong unang mga tanong nya, it’s all about chess. Like it’s explaining the rules by asking us instead. At ngayon, it wants us to know how the game originated.”

“Why would it do that, though?” Hoax asked. “It can just help us even without that. That’s why we thought that it’s playing with us before.”

That’s the question. Bakit nga ba kailangan nya pang magtanong at hindi na lang kami tulungan? Bakit kailangan nya pang magtanong that we even need to go back to those places where the nightmares of some of the members happened?

“So we could prepare ourselves. Not only our skills but also our emotions.” Fourth said.

Napatingin kaming lahat sa kanya. With him looking so serious like this, I remember those times when he was still the one giving us our missions, our moves that we should do so we can win the game.

He took a deep breath. He glanced at Eresh first before looking back at us.

“Like what Eresh did to us in the past, she targeted our emotions.” he continued. “The voice knows that our emotions can be our weakness. And probably, the gamemaster knows it as well.”

“In order for us to win the game, we should prepare our emotions.” Eresh said. “So the gamemaster wouldn’t use it against us.”

I could feel the goosebumps all over my body. Merda! She is right! Eresh and Fourth were right! I couldn’t imagine that we’re in the endgame, fighting against the gamemaster and he will suddenly tell Eresh about those videos to attack her emotions! For sure, malaki ang magiging epekto noon sa amin kung sakaling sa labanan nga mangyari iyon!

Eresh will break down in the middle of the fight while Fourth will try to comfort her. Without the two strongest members of the team, it will give us a great damage!

And looking at Eresh, it seems like she understood everything now.

The voice real goal.

“V.” I heard Aius called me. He’s already looking at me when I looked back at him. “What are you going to do?”

Alam kong nakatingin silang lahat sa akin at naghihintay ng sagot ko. I know that this day will really come. That I had to ask my father about this. I was trying to avoid this, hoping that all will be answered without asking him. Dahil natatakot akong marinig ang katotohanan mula sa kanya.

That he really was the reason why the game became bloody.

But now… I couldn’t avoid it anymore. I have to ask him. Hindi lang ako ang kailangan na makarinig ng sagot nya. We all need to hear the truth.

The decision is now on me.

I took a deep breath before looking at them.

“I’m gonna call my father.”

Chapter 24

Nakatitig lang ako sa spare laptop ni L na pinahiram nya muna sa akin saglit so that I could call my father. L wants me to use this instead as his laptop might not be safe. He’s been using it for so long. So many stored datas were in there. He said that it might be bugged kaya ito ang pinagamit nya sa akin. As this laptop is new and he put so many security walls in this.

I actually wanna talk to my father face to face but we have no time left so I just settled for this. But now that all I have to do is to click on the call button, parang nahihirapan yata akong gawin iyon.

The rest of the team were just waiting for me. Nasa harap ko sila so the laptop is facing them backwards dahil nakaharap iyon sa amin ni Death. He’s beside me as always, giving me the support and the comfort I need.

I took a deep breath. Thirty minutes had passed since I’ve been staring at the laptop but nobody pushed me to make it quick which I know that I should. We have a time limit at nasasayang ang oras dahil sa akin.

As usual, the EL Ordre is being considerate again. They let me calm my emotions inside me first dahil na rin siguro halata ang kaba sa mukha ko.

I remember when my father told me about his mission of killing the former Rooks, Liam Ortega’s parent. It was so sad and painful to hear. That he was the reason why someone’s became an orphan.

And his reason for doing that? Because it’s an order from the higher ups.

Now, I wonder why was he ordered to do that when the game started as a friendly game?

Naririnig ko ang bawat pagtipa ng mga daliri ni Alter sa laptop nya. She didn’t stop working even if the voice contacted us again. Dahil baka nga naman hindi namin tanggapin ang tulong ng boses na iyon kapag narinig ko na ang dahilan ni Papà. At least she’s not wasting time unlike me.

Merda! I shouldn’t be acting like this. I’m not the only one playing this game!

Muli akong kumuha ng malalim na buntong-hininga. My hands trembled as I reached for the keyboard and click the play button. After a second, I saw my call’s getting through to my father.

“Papà.” I greeted him nang bumungad ang mukha nya sa screen.

It was only for a while since we didn’t see each other but it looks like he’s aged so much. He has so many gray hairs now mixed with the black ones. And kulubot sa gilid ng mga mata nya ay nagpakita nang ngumiti sya sa akin. His eyes look so weary.

“Vexen…” he greeted me back. Halata ang saya sa boses nya. “This is unexpected but I’m glad that you called! Do you want to see Raven?”

“Uhm, no.” mabilis akong umiling. Napatingin pa ako kay Death dahil basta na lang akong nagdesisyon para sa aming dalawa.

But looking at his mismatched eyes, it looks like we feel the same. We both miss our daughter. At kung makikita namin sya sa screen lang ng laptop ay baka magdesisyon na kaming umuwi para lang makasama ang anak namin.

And the EL Ordre will gladly let us. As we no longer a part of the chess pieces. They were actually being thankful that we chose to help them even after that. Kaya kapag hiniling naming hindi na tapusin ang laro ay ibibigay kaagad nila iyon sa amin.

But no, I should finish the game. I must help them so we can finish the the game the soonest.

I’m doing this for my daughter. I’m doing this for the baby inside my tummy. I’m doing this for my family. So they will grow up to a peaceful world. Without any chaos. Without the stupid Bloody Human Chess game.

“I didn’t call to check on my daughter, Papà. Ho bisogno del tuo aiuto. “ I said. Telling him that I need his help using the language that he could understand better. So he would know that this is a serious matter.

“Anything, my daughter!” he gladly said. “I’ll help you in every way I can.”

Napatingin ako kay Death. I know that Papà knows my husband is just beside me. Kita sa screen ang balikat nya.

I looked at the rest of the members before looking back at my father again.

“The EL Ordre can hear you.” I said although by now, I know that he already knew that Death and I weren’t alone in the room. Mabilis syang makabasa ng galaw at dahil sa ginawa kong pagtingin sa iba ay nalaman nya iyon.

“Everything’s alright?” he asked when he notice me having a hard time speaking.

Napalunok ako at pinilit na tumango. But… is everything really alright? Will everything ever be alright?

“Actually, no.” I admitted. “We’re now in the endgame and still looking for the hideout of the Red Faction.”

“You still haven’t found it?”

Umiling ako sa tanong ni Papà. “Someone’s helping us. I don’t know who he is… or who she is. But it’s not helping us for free. We must answer correctly the question first that was given to us. And we’re down on the last question.”

The last question… Will it really give us the Red Faction’s location if we could answer this one? What if it’s another trap?

But… I guess it will depend on the location that it will give us. It will be our choice in the end. Kung magtitiwala ba kami sa ibibigay nyang lugar o hindi.

“And that is?” Papà asked. He’s waiting for me to tell him the question.

I took a deep breath again and looked at him in the eye. I made sure that he will know and will feel my seriousness in this.

“Why did the EL Ordre and the Red Faction became enemies?.”

Nakita kong natigilan si Papà dahil doon. It’s obvious that he is not expecting that the question will be like this.

Simula nang malinawan ako sa ginawa nya sa pamilya ni Liam Ortega, hindi na kami nag-usap pa about the game. He doesn’t have any idea on whats happening right now.

Alam kong nagulat sya as he knows that this is against the rules. That asking the former chess pieces about the previous game is against the rules.

“There’s no rules anymore, Papà.” inunahan ko na sya bago pa sya makapagtanong. “We are now against the gamemaster.”

Mas nahalata ko ang gulat sa kanya pero nagpatuloy ako.

“We are aware of the EL Ordre and the Red Faction being as a one group before. But… what happened? Why did it split into two groups?”

Mukhang hindi alam ni Papà kung ano ang uunahin, kung ang mag-react sa mga nalaman nya o ang sagutin ang tanong ko.

There was a rule that the former chess pieces will be considered as innocents if their game has already ended. Wala na silang kinalaman sa susunod na laro. So it’s also a rule not to include them in the game.

Kaya hindi ko din sinabi kay Papà ang mga nangyayari. I don’t want him to get involved anymore. I let him took care of my daughter instead. Alam kong sabik sya dahil si Raven ang unang apo nya. Afterall, he deserves to live a normal life.

I want them out of danger.

“Vexen…” si Papà na mukhang nalilito pa rin sa dapat na sabihin. “I don’t understand. Why would you go against the gamemaster?”

“Why wouldn’t we, Mr. Bellucci?” Death asked beside me. “He was the reason for all of this.”

“We really need your help, Papà.” I said, trying to convince him. “Just answer our questions. Please.”

Tumitig sya sa akin. Nakikita ko pa rin ang pagkalito sa mukha. But I don’t want to explain everything to him. Not yet. Not now. I know that he will involved himself kapag nalaman nyang wala na kaming rules na sinusunod ngayon.

I unconciously put a hand over my tummy. I know he’ll be delighted if I’ll tell him about the good news, pero kagaya ni Death, he sometimes may be a little overprotective. Kagaya noong gusto nya akong ipakasal kay Gon so I could have my Pawn promotion and be the Queen’s Bishop once I’ll be a Mancini. I know that he’ll pull me out in this. Kahit ano pang pakiusap ang sabihin at gawin ko.

Kaya hindi ko muna sasabihin ngayon.

My father sighed. Sumandal sya sa swivel chair na kinauupuan nya. He’s in his office in the house. Probably working at home again.

“Alright.” he said. “I’ll tell you everything you wanna know.”

I smiled at my father. Naramdaman kong hinawakan ni Death ang isang kamay ko at marahang pinisil iyon. I squeezed his hand back before I asked my father again.

“Why did the EL Ordre and the Red Faction split into two groups?”

My father pursed his lips. His eyes met mine. Nakita ko ang pagkakahawig ng mga mata namin.

“EL Ordre is a secret organization under the government. Of course, you all know that.” he started. At kahit hindi iyon tanong ay tumango ako. “But here’s the thing that you didn’t know. The Red Faction and the EL Ordre, being as a one group before, was working under the government. The Philippine government.”

Napansin ko na si Eresh ang unang-unang nag-react kaagad doon. She has a ridiculous expression on her face. Halong pagkagulat, pagtataka at… pandidiri?

“That’s so eew.” she said at napagtanto kong tama ang huli kong nakitang emosyon sa mukha nya. “I couldn’t imagine myself being a dog of clowns.”

“This is new.” Aius said. “Sa bawat misyong ginawa natin, the Red Faction was always there to stop us. It was so clear that they’re against the government.”

Napatingin agad ako kay Papà. Unti-unti na akong nagkakaideya kung bakit nahati sila noon sa dalawang grupo.

“The government became so powerful because of us.” Papà continued. “We were unbreakable. We were unstoppable. With people who got skills like us to protect them and do illegal things for them just for the sake of having a better country, they became the most competent leaders.”

Eresh snorted as she rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. Tell me a better joke.”

“The citizens loves them. That’s why we gave them our full support.”

“I hate them though.” sabat ulit ni Eresh. “They are only thinking of themselves. They are using the organization to look good in the eyes of the people that they took advantage of! They never cared for the citizens! Sarili lang nila ang iniisip nila! They put themselves first, enjoying their privilages instead of helping those in need!”

Fourth tried to calm Eresh down but she’s already on the roll.

“I am so confused as to why you are still helping them.” she said angrily. “Why can’t see you see the real them? That they’re monsters! That they’re selfish! After the people helped them and put them in their seats, what have they done? Pinabayaan nila ang mga tao pagkatapos noon! The government they have is not for people! Para lang iyon sa kanila!”

The Queen is mad. Halata ang galit sa mga mata nya at tumataas ang boses nya habang sinasabi nya ang mga iyon kaya napatigil pa si Alter sa pagtitipa sa laptop nya just to check on her Ate Eresh.

“Anong nangyayari?” she even asked but L just shook his head and smiled at her before kissing her forehead.

“Nothing.”

Papà sighed again kaya muli akong napatingin sa kanya.

“She is from the Red Faction.” my father concluded, narinig ang mga sinabi ni Eresh. Tumango ako para kumpirmahin iyon sa kanya. “You are smart, Vexen. I know you already figured out the answer to your question.”

Hindi ako nagsalita. Papà is right. He really knows me. Of course, I am his daughter.

Mukhang tama ang kutob ko kanina as to why one splits into two. But I still want to hear everything from him. And Papà knows that as well kaya nagpatuloy sya.

“The group’s goal was to help the government.” he said. “But suddenly, some of the members didn’t share the same goal with us anymore.”

The Red Faction…

“We realized that we couldn’t work as one group after that, hence, the group splits into two.”

The EL Ordre and the Red Faction.

I looked at my father. His face was grim when he said the next words.

“That’s when the gamemaster created the Human Chess game.”

Chapter 25

We were silent the whole time father tried to explained everything to us. These are the things that we must know and we need to know. We started playing this game without enough knowledge about it as according to them and the gamemaster, it is against the rules.

Now that everything is in chaos, now that we don’t need to follow any rules anymore, this is our chance to know everything, to know the history of this Human Chess game.

I noticed Tracer typing on his laptop. Siguro ay para magreply sa e-mail ng nagmamay-ari ng boses as it’s question has already been answered. 

The reason why the EL Ordre and the Red Faction decided to split into two groups was because they don’t have the same goal anymore. The EL Ordre is helping the government while the Red Faction suddenly went against them. They started to ruin the EL Ordre’s every mission, making sure that we won’t accomplish it. Kung minsan ay nagtatagumpay sila pero madalas ay napipigilan pa namin.

“The gamemaster took advantage of the misunderstanding that happened in the group.” Papà continued. “He suggested to play the game, the Human Chess game, where we will act as the chess pieces, to settle the misunderstanding. The losing team will have to agree on the winning team’s goal without any question.”

“Meaning if the Red Faction wins, the EL Ordre will have to stop helping the government.” Eresh concluded. Narinig iyon ni Papà kaya tumango sya kahit na hindi nya nakikita sa screen si Eresh.

“And if the EL Ordre wins, the Red Faction will have to help the government again.” my father said. Napairap na lang si Eresh doon.

“But nobody won back then.” she stated.

Kaya hanggang ngayon ay nag-eexist pa rin ang EL Ordre at ang Red Faction. Kaya hanggang ngayon ay hati pa rin kami sa dalawang grupo and the Red Faction is fighting against us. Dahil walang nanalo noon. The misunderstanding hasn’t been settled yet.

“So that’s why we’re stil playing the game.” sabi ni Archer na magkasalubong ang mga kilay. Halatang nag-iisip. “You passed it down on us because nobody won back then.”

“Tangina.” Plutus cursed. May ngisi sa mga labi nya pero halatang may inis sa mukha nya. “Gulo nila pero nadamay pa tayo. They want us to settle the shits they’ve created.”

“That’s not it, son.” Papà said and Plutus raised an eyebrow at that.

“Anak mo ko? Hindi ko alam ’yan.”

I glared at him. He purposedly asked that question in a language that my father couldn’t understand! Merda! I know he’s aware that it’s just an expression from my father pero ginawa nyang big deal para mang-inis lang!

“Tawagin mo na ring Papà.” the ever-so-annoying Archer said. Talagang basta sa kalokohan hindi magpapahuli!

“Can you both shut up?” Eresh said. She’s taking everything seriously.

She’s the Queen of the Red Faction. Since the beginning of our game, she was their leader. And being their leader means that she has the same views with the former Red Faction’s members. She’s against the government as well, to the leaders who are sitting on their seats.

Kaya naman masyado syang naaapektuhan ngayon unlike Alter who was just following her orders before. But I think that some of their members also have the same opinion with their Queen. Just like Liam Ortega. He’s a drug lord. He went against the law and rules of the government. He cfreated chaos.

“It is not the game that must be passed down. Nor the positions in the Human Chess Game.” said my father. “But our profession as a secret agents for the government.”

“So the group was created to help the government?” Aius asked. “It exist because of them?”

My father nodded kaya tumango din ako kay Auis para malaman nyang tama ang konklusyon nya. He frowned. The black shirt he’s wearing made his eyes darker. Ang black leather jacket nya ay nakasampay sa armrest ng sofa na kinauupuan nya.

“Italy, my country, decided to help the Philippines and it’s government in exchange that the country will get support from them as well.” Papà explained. “The same with United Kingdom and Russia.”

“The Von Amstels for United Kingdom.” sabi ni Fourth na mukhang naintindihan ang paliwanag ni Papà while I still don’t get it. “And the Ferrantes as they serve the royal family.”

“The government got help from those countries through us.” Eresh said. “Like the Belluccis and the Mancinis for Italy.”

“And Villarazas for Russia.” said Plutus. “My father is a Russian but my mother chose to reside here in the Philippines. So I’m a Filipino citizen.”

“For world peace naman pala ang purpose ng grupo.” sabi ni Archer na nagkibit-balikat pagkatapos. “I’m not a real Cervantes kaya hindi ko alam kung sa Russia ba, Italy o United Kingdom ako. Or if I’m pure Filipino.”

“You got your surname from Leto, right?” tanong ni Tracer at napatango si Archer.

“Yeah. The former Pawn. The one who trained me.” he answered. “Sa kanya ko din nakuha ang pagiging Pawn ko.”

“So ang pagiging secret agents ang talagang ipinapasa, hindi ang pagiging chess pieces.” Kuya Vander asked. “Did I get it right?”

“Ah, now I get it.” Tracer said. “Kaya kailangan na related with the same surname ang magmamana ng position. ’Cause it was the family’s legacy.”

Tumango ako base sa pagkakaintindi ko. “Our purpose is to help the government by being their secret agents. Pero dahil sa conflict ng former groups that’s why the Human Chess game was created.”

“And they even passed down that conflict to us. Fucking great.” Eresh said sarcastically.

We went silent, trying to the digest the truth that was given to us. I really thought that it was the position of the Human Chess game that needs to be passed down. That’s what Fourth explained to me  before pero mukhang mali rin ang pagkakaintindi nya. The former group was so good at following the orders of the gamemaster.

So either way, we were bound to help the government. To have a better and peaceful world. 

But how can we do that kung sa mismong grupo ay mayroong gulo?

The group splits into two as they have different views and opinions about the government. And the gamemaster decided to settle this through the Human Chess game. The members will act as the chess pieces.

It was a friendly game before. Siguro ay para ipakita kung sino ang magaling, kung sino ang mahusay. Who are the strongest and better in fighting. Who are the ones that can think of a better strategy.

But it became bloody when the EL Ordre cheated. When my father killed Liam Ortega’s family.

I looked at my father. Hinayaan nya kaming isipin ang lahat ng mga sinabi nya. He knew that this informatuion is new to us. For so long, we thought that we need to win the game to live, to survive while helping the government. Pero ang gamemaster lang pala ang bumuo ng Human Chess game sa loob ng grupo.

To create more chaos… but why?

“Papà…” I called him. “You explained it to me before. The reason why you did kill the Ortega’s.”

I stopped talking. Nakita ko kasi ang pagbabago sa expression ng mukha nya kahit iyon pa lang ang sinasabi ko. But he never stopped me from talking. Like he’s expecting this for so long and was just waiting for me to ask him.

Napalunok ako bago nagpatuloy sa pagsasalita.

“You said that it was an order from the higher ups.” I continued. “That you can’t disobey. You even said that you were ordered to kill the whole manor but you just couldn’t ’cause Liam was still a child back then. You couldn’t kill an innocent kid.”

“Yes…” Papà softly said. His expression is somewhat in between of pain and suffering. Naramdaman ko ang pagbabara ng lalamunan ko dahil doon.

“Who… ordered you to kill them?” I asked, almost whispering. But I knew that my father heard it. “Why were you given that order?”

Nakatitig lang sa akin si Papà, sa screen pagkatapos kong magtanong. Malakas ang tibok ng puso ko habang hinihintay ang sagot nya. I don’t even know if I’m trembling pero mahigpit na hinawakan ni Death ang kamay ko. To let me know that he’s just beside me.

Tahimik ang EL Ordre. Halos wala nga akong marinig na ingay at aakalain kong kaming dalawa na lang ni Death ang nandito sa living room. This is between me and my father but I know that they need to know this as well. Dahil dito nagsimulang magkagulo ang laro. The game went bloody since then.

I heard my father sighed. His eyes looked so tired as I looked at him.

“It was the gamemaster.” he said. “He gave me that order. To kill the Rook’s family.”

I gasped. I gasped so loud that my lungs were so full of air. Nakatitig ako kay Papà, halos hindi gumagalaw. While he’s staring back at me with sadness and pain in his eyes.

He got a direct order… from the gamemaster? To kill Liam Ortega’s family?

“Wait… So you know who the gamemaster is?” tanong ni Death na unang nakabawi sa aming dalawa. 

The rest of the members were still quiet. Hinahayan lang na kami ni Death ang makipag-usap ngayon kay Papà kahit na alam kong marami rin silang tanong.

“No.” Papà answered. “We only talked behind our computers. Like this. And he was wearing a mask and used a voice changer.”

Hindi pa rin ako makapagsalita. I thought that it was the former EL Ordre’s King, or somewhere from high pieces, who gave him that order. It never occured to me that it really is the gamemaster.

So all along. pinaglaruan talaga kami ng gamemaster. He was the one who created the game to settle the conflict between the two groups but the truth is, he will use the game para mas lalo pang magkagulo ang dalawang grupo. And his first step was to use my father with his plans.

“Why?” I asked softly. “Why did he give you that order? Why did he involved himself in a game he created to resolve the problem between the two groups?! Why did you have to kill them?!”

Sumisigaw na ako. Hindi ko alam kung kanino ako mas nagagalit. Kay Papà ba who became a dog of the gamemaster, to the gamemaster who ruined our lives, or to myself because I don’t know what to do anymore.

“I have no choice!” my father said. He sounds so frustrated now. “He told me that the Rook is planning to ruin the game! That he’s planning to kill the rest of us!”

“He was your teammate before, yet for that reason, without listening to him first, you chose to kill him?” hindi makapaniwala kong tanong.

“I declined, Vexen! I declined!” marahas syang bumuntong-hininga. “Believe me, I declined. But I was already planning to build a family with your mother at that time. And the gamemaster warned me that if I won’t obey his order, we won’t have a peaceful life as a family.”

Napaiyak ako. Hindi ko alam kung anong mararamdaman ko pero tumulo pa rin ang mga luha ko. Galit, pagkapahiya, disappoinment, sadness… Naghalo-halo lahat. I even think that I might go crazy right now!

“Did you know that by obeying his orders, it was the reason why the game became a death game?”

“I was just trying to protect your mother! To protect you and your future!”

“Protect me?!” I exclaimed. “Papà, because of what you’ve done, I am now fighting for my life! For my friends lives! We were in danger because of you!”

Nagtiim-bagang si Papà. He got hurt by what I’ve said pero pinipigilan nya ang galit at sakit na magpakita sa kanya.

“What did you want me to do instead, then? Let him kill your mother? Let him chase us for eternity and let the both of you be in danger?”

“Aren’t I already in danger right now?”

“No. You are already out in the game, Vexen.”

I laughed without any humor. Marahas kong pinahid ang luha paalis sa pisngi ko. Merda! Parang gusto ko yatang magwala sa sobrang inis!

I looked at my father. He was staring at me, still with pain in his eyes pero nakikita ko doon na hindi sya nagsisisi sa pinili nyang desisyon noon.

“You’re a coward, Papà.” I said. “And I don’t want to be like you. I don’t want to be irresponsible. So I’m gonna help the EL Ordre till the end. Until we win this game.”

He looked at me, coldness is in his eyes. Naalala ko tuloy noong panahong tine-train nya pa ako. This is the look that he had on when he was still training me. To be cold. To be emotionless so it wouldn’t be used against me.

“If being a coward means that I could protect you and your future, then I am the biggest coward in the whole world.” he said.

Mabilis na naputol ang tawag pagkatapos sabihin iyon ni Papà. Merda! I hurt him! He’s obviously hurt by my words kaya nya biglang pinatay ang tawag!

But I am hurt as well! I just confirmed that he really is the reason why the game became so bloody!

Merda!

I sobbed. Tinakpan ko ng dalawang mga palad ko ang mukha ko para doon umiyak. Pero ilang sandali lang ay naramdaman ko ang marahang paghigit sa akin ni Death para bakutin ako sa mainit na yakap. And when I felt his warmth, I cried even harder.

If father didn’t obey the gamemaster’s order for him. then the game wouldn’t be this chaotic. We wouldn’t have to kill each other.

I feel so ashamed. How could I faced everyone now?

Chapter 26

My eyes remained on the new email that I’ve just received. Even if I don’t open it, I have a hunch on what’s inside of it. Bumaling ang tingin ko kay V na napapansin kong madalas ang pagiging tulala sa umagang iyon.

I bit the insides of my cheeks as I looked at the email again. Should I open it? I know this email contains the location of the Red Faction. The voice is true to its words. Once we’ve given it the correct answer to the question, ibibigay nya na nga sa amin ang impormasyon na kinakilangan namin.

And it’s here. The location of the Red Faction’s hideout.

“Alter.” I called her as she was still busy typing with her laptop.

Tumingin sya sa akin. Even if her eyes were already looking at me, her hands didn’t stop working. Patuloy lang sya sa pagtitipa habang naghihintay sa sasabihin ko.

“You can stop doing that.” I said.

“Ha—Huh?” tanong nyang saglit na tumingin sa laptop nya bago ibinalik ang mga mata sa akin. “Alin?”

Tumingin na din sa akin si L na katabi lang nya. They were like, inseperable couple when they’re working. Palagi silang magkatabi. And I guess it’s they’re way to show that they’re supporting each other. Lalo pa at mukhang natataranta si Alter ngayon.

I couldn’t help but to miss my wife and the twins. Kung minsan ay hindi ko maiwasang mainggit kina L, Kier at Fourth. Because their partners were also part of the game that’s why they were able to spend time with them kahit na nasa gitna kami ng laro.

Archer’s always complaining about this. Always ranting na malapit nang manganak si Fatima pero nandito sya at hindi pa rin makasama ang asawa.

We’ve sacrificed a lot in this game. And I fucking swear that we will win this game. I will not let that stupid old geezer, the gamemaster, to take everything away from us.

Babawiin ko ang kapatid ko.

“You can stop searching for the Red Faction’s hideout.” I said. “Thank you but it’s alright now.”

With that, Alter’s fingers stopped mid air. Narinig ko ang pagbuntong-hininga ni L bago sumandal sa kinauupuan nya. I didn’t have to explain everything to him. We’ve both been working as the EL Ordre’s trackers for years so he knows what I meant by now.

Unlike Alter who keeps her stares at me. Parang binabasa kung anong nasa isip ko. She blinks before she looked at my laptop and then back at me again.

“Oh.” she muttered. Mukhang nakuha na ang ibig kong sabihin.

They both looked at V who was silent the whole time. We were all in the living room but she hasn’t said anything yet. Napansin ko na pilit nya ring iniiwasan ang mga tingin namin. Her eyes were restless and she keeps her head hung low. Kier never left her side the whole time.

It is clear that she is still affected.

I looked at my side and caught Eresh staring at me. Tingin ko ay kanina pa sya nakatitig sa akin and I figured that she knows about what I just said to L and Alter as her eyes went down on my laptop. Nakataas na ang isang kilay nya nang bumalik ang tingin nya sa akin.

I smirked at her. I really admire her intuition. She’s so fast in understanding and grasping things that sometimes, I admit, it scares me. With just one look and she could comprehend everything easily.

Just like now.

“The gamemaster is really playing with us.” Archer said so suddenly kaya napatingin ako sa kanya.

He tossed the baseball he’s holding that I have no idea where he get it from, and caught it in with his hands. Ilang beses nyang ginawa iyon habang nagsasalita.

“Anong trip ng matandang ’yon?” he asked that made Aius chuckled.

“May I remind you na nine years ang age gap nyo ng asawa nyo.” he said. “Matandang gurang ka para sa kanya.

“Fuck you, fucker!” si Archer na halatang nainis sa sinabi ni Aius. I chuckled. “Eight years and ten months lang! You can’t even do a simple math!”

“In mathematics, there’s a procedure called rounding off numbers.” Auis rebutted. “And it’s easier to say nine years than eight years and ten months. Too long to say, fucker.”

I made a low chuckle. The fucker, Archer, is really sensitive about his and Fatima’s age gap. It’s no big deal with us, actually. And I honestly thought that they actually suits each other. Fatima needs someone who can act mature around her as well as can match up her childishness at times. And Archer is the perfect one for her.

Pero dahil naiinis si Archer kapag nababanggit ang age gap nila na wala lang naman talaga para sa amin, mas lalo tuloy syang inaasar ni Aius. Another fucker one.

“Bakit ako lang ang pinag-iinitan mo?” sabi ni Archer at itinuro nya ako gamit ang kamay nyang may hawak ng baseball. “That fucker and his wife also has a big difference between their age!”

“I don’t really have any problem with that though.” sabi kong nagkibit-balikat pa. Napasimagot si Archer at halatang mas nainis pa dahil hindi man lang ako naapektuhan sa sinabi nya.

Tarantado. Ginagawa nya kasing big deal ang agwat ng mga edad nila ng asawa nya.

“What’s wrong with almost nine years age gap though?” Eresh asked. Nagulat pa ako sa biglang pagsali nya sa usapan namin. “I don’t see anything’s wrong with that.”

“Naging estudyante nya kasi muna ang asawa nya noon.” it was Aius who answered her question. “Kaya siguro ganyan syang ka-sensitive sa age gap nila.”

“Oh…” Eresh muttered. “Still I don’t see anything’s wrong with that. She’s not your student anymore. She’s your wife now, for fuck’s sake. Stop whining about your age gap. You love her and you’re gonna spend the rest of your lifetime with her and that’s what’s more impotant.” 

I noticed Fourth smirked beside her. There he goes again. Looking so proud everytime Eresh says or does something smart.

“And based on the stories I’ve heard from Artemis, I could tell that you have a good wife. So I’m certain that she doesn’t really mind about your age gap at all.”

Napangiti si Archer sa sinabing iyon ni Eresh. He looks like he finally understand na walang kwenta naman talaga ang pinoproblema nya. He wanted to hear those words to stop minding about their age gap. Both Aius and I knew that. 

But Aius, being the fucker and his friend, chose to make fun of him with that. Pambawi man lang daw sa mga corny jokes ni Archer dahil naaawa na daw sya sa tenga nya.

“Saglit.” Archer said and he took out his phone. “Ulitin mo sinabi mo. From the top.”

Eresh rolled her eyes and ignored the fucker who wanted to record her saying those words again. Just like what he did before. Minsan nga lang naman kasing may lumabas na mga papuri sa bibig ni Eresh. Especially for Archer.

I think the fucker’s problem has been resolve now.

I saw Eresh whispered something to Fourth that made him look at me. That got me confused but when his gaze turned on my laptop, that’s when I remember the email that I’ve just received. She probably told him about it.

Right. I don’t know if I should open it now or wait for V to recover from her talk with her father. Napatingin ako sa kanya at nakita kong nakayuko pa rin sya. Like she’s guilty about something. Like she’s ashamed to meet our eyes kaya mas piniling yumuko na lang.

If she’s guilty for what her father did in the past, then what she’s doing is useless.

“I’m sorry!” V said so suddenly that a lot of them got surprised. Nasa mga mukha pa nila ang pagtataka dahil sa biglang sinabi ni V.

I poked the inside of my left cheek with my tongue. Seems like I am right.

V is good in combat fights. I wouldn’t deny that. She’s one of our best frontliners at madalas ay naipapanalo nya ang mga misyon na ginagawa nya. She has a good fighting skills. But sometimes, I didn’t like how her mind works.

She’s always overthinking things that she’s becoming irrational. Just like now.

“God, I am so sorry.” sabi pa nya and she even covered her face with her hands. “I feel so ashamed.”

Kier sighed. Napatingin pa sya sa amin at mukhang hindi nya alam kung anong gagawin sa asawa nya. Is it her pregnancy hormones acting up? Mas maiintindihan ko pa kung ganoon nga instead of her blaming herself so suddenly.

“Ano bang pinagsasabi mo dyan, V?” tanong ni Archer na may nakakatawang ekspresyon sa mukha nya. He was looking at V like she turned into some kind of unknown specie.

She looked up. Her eyes brimmed with tears as she sobbed. Sinubukan syang hawakan ni Kier sa mga balikat para hapitin palapit ang asawa sa kanya but she refused by moving her shoulders, trying to shrug his hand off it.

“Lahat ng ’to,” she said. “All of these are happening because of what my father did. Kung hindi nya ginawa ang utos ng gamemaster, hindi sana magkakagulo ang laro.”

I sighed when she finished talking. Sa kalagitnaan pa lang ng pagsasalita nya ay nakaramdam na ako ng pananakit ng ulo. Damn this girl. I knew that she’ll gonna think this way!

I pinched the bridge of my nose. Damn… I suddenly remember that time when she was so drunk and sang her lungs out. I don’t wanna hear her sing again.

“Nobody’s blaming your father, V.” Kier said and V looked at her.

“Pero totoo diba? Kung hindi nya sinunod ang gamemaster, hindi magiging madugo ang laro! Wala sanang mamamatay at kailangang magsakripisyo!”

“Your father was just trying to protect your mother and the family that he’s planning to build.” Viper tried to explain. “He was just trying to protect you.”

“And Eresh.” sabi ni V na mukhang hindi tumatak sa isip ang sinabi ni Viper. “You pointed this out before. That if the EL Ordre hadn’t cheated back then, your father wouldn’t do those horrible things to you.”

Her tears continue to fall. Eresh just stared at her as she cried, still blaming her father and feeling ashamed as she thought that all of these happened because of what her father did.

“I am so sorry.” she said. “ I’m sorry, Eresh.“

Eresh eyes turned so cold as she stares at V. Inaabangan ko ang sasabihin nya. Hindi lang ako. All of us were waiting for Eresh to say something that base on her looks, will not be a good one.

“Yeah, you should really apologize.” Eresh said. “Kneel and beg.”

Natigilan yata kaming lahat dahil sa sinabi nya. I was not expecting that. But Fourth seems like he knew something as his lips were suppressing a smirk.

Malamig pa rin ang mga tingin ni Eresh kay V na natigilan din. She then sobbed when Eresh smirked at her manacingly.

“C’mon, V. Kneel.” she said. Mas lalong napaiyak si V.

“Eresh—” Kier started to say but Fourth shushed him.

“Kneel and beg, V.” Eresh said. “Apologize for being stupid by thinking that way.”

V looked at her. “Eresh…”

“I was wrong.” sabi ni Eresh na humalukipkip at sumandal sa kinauupuan nyan. “I was wrong by thinking like that before. Sadyang demonyo lang talaga ang ama ko para gawin ang mga bagay na ’yon.”

I almost smirked by her words.

Something had changed again with Eresh. Before, she’s doing things to make her father proud and accept her as her daughter even after what he’d done. She continue to do things that she thought will make him proud even if he’s already dead. Lahat ng ginawa nya ay para sa ama nya.

And hearing her talk like this about him, just means that she’s slowly overcoming and accepting her past.

“Did you hear me blame your father when I learned about the truth?” Eresh asked to V. “No, right? It’s because I am not blaming him. Not at all.”

“Maybe you just don’t want me to hear it.” V said that made Eresh laughed.

“Oh no, V. I thought you already know me? You should know that I say things I like to say. Not minding what the other people will feel. Sinasabi ko ngang tanga si Archer, hindi ba?”

“Hoy—” reklamo ni Archer pero hindi natuloy nang magsalita si Fourth.

“And V, we all understand why your father did those things.” he said. “That’s his own way of protecting you and your mother. You know, parents will do everything for their children.”

“Not all parents, though.” Eresh said and the air suddenly became so gloomy.

But Fourth smiled at her and took her hand. He kissed the back of her hand before he looked at V again.

“Yeah… Not all parents. That’s why you are lucky to have a father like that.” he said. “And you should appreciate him, V.”

“Hindi din naman ang ama mo ang may kasalanan nito.” Aius said. “It was the gamemaster. We wouldn’t be here if not for him.”

“He’s the one who ruined everything.” Viper said. “Sya dapat ang sisihin sa lahat, Vexen.”

Plutus puffed on his vape. Vanilla scent could be smelled on the entire room and somehow, its sweet scent calmed V down.

Hindi na nagsalita si V pagkatapos noon but I guess that she’s feeling better now. Hinayaan na nya si Kier na hawakan sya at yakapin para mas pakalmahin pa.

I looked at my laptop again. Binuksan ko ang bagong email na natanggap ko and it confirmed my thoughts earlier.

I smirked and looked at everyone.

“By the way, I got the Red Faction’s location now.”

Chapter 27

Tama ang pagkakaintindi namin ni L kanina nang patigilin ako ni Tracer sa ginagawa ko. I have been tracing the Red Faction’s hideout nonstop that I couldn’t even sleep a wink. Hindi kasi ako mapalagay hangga’t hindi ko nahahanap ang hideout ng kalaban.

We all need their location as soon as possible. Kaya ayoko talagang tumigil sa paghahanap. Nobody pressured me but I know that we don’t have much time.

But now that Tracer wanted me to stop only means that he already has the information that we need.

“Paano?” Aius asked. Kunot na kunot ang noo nya habang nakatingin kay Tracer. “You found it?”

Tracer shook his head. Iniharap nya ang laptop sa gawi namin so we could see the email that he received.

“The question was answered. The voice gave us the coordinates of their location.” he explained. 

Saglit syang pumindot ng kung ano sa laptop nya kahit nakatalikod iyon sa kanya. Seconds later, we were shown a map with a red dot in the middle.

“That’s the location.” he said like he’s really sure about it.

We all looked at his laptop. The red dot shows us the exact location of the enemy’s hideout which will be four hours drive away from here. The place was secluded since we couldn’t get enough signal of the nearby establishments or house. Meaning, baka nag-iisa lang ang hideout sa lugar na iyon.

“Is it in an island again?” asked Kier. “Like the last time. ’Yung kay Liam?”

Tracer shook his head. “I don’t think so. By the looks of it, the place is the same with their last hideout. Napapaligiran din ng maraming puno.”

“Ugh… I hate forest.” I heard Ate Eresh mumbled.

Natahimik ako. I think I have trauma with forest as well. O sa kung saan mang mapunong lugar.

I remembered what happened the last time. I was on Enki’s back, bleeding so much that I lost all my strength. I was in and out of my conciousness habang nakasakay ako sa likod nya pero nararamdaman kong maingat syang tumatakbo para hindi ako mas masaktan pa which was not necessary since I was already numbed with pain. But still, he was so considerate with me that time.

Mabilis pero maingat syang tumatakbo noon. I could hear him panting but he never stopped to take a rest. Kahit na may sugat ang binti nya noon at hirap sa pagtakbo. He wanted to take me to the nearest hospital so he could go back to save Ate Eresh. So he could save the Queen he’s been serving for all his life.

But on his way back, he died.

I probably will always remember that whenever I’m inside of any forest.

But for Ate Eresh, hindi lang si Enki ang maalala nya. Her pet as well, Nergal, and all of the things that happened to her in that forest.

“You can stay here.” Plutus suggested to Ate Eresh at doon pa lang ay  gusto ko na syang patigilin sa pagsasalita. “Kami na lang ang pupunta.”

I grimaced. Wrong choice of words, Plutus!

Ate Eresh looked at him. She raised an eyebrow and eyed him from head to toe. Kapag ganito na ang inaasta nya ay alam kong may hindi magandang lalabas sa bibig nya.

“Do you think I’m that weak?” she asked, full of sarcasm.

Plutus smirked at her. Mukhang mas nag-enjoy pa sa inis na nakikita sa  mukha ni Ate Eresh ngayon.

“I never said that you’re weak. I’m just saying that you can stay here if you want.”

“Ayoko.” mabilis na sagot ni Ate Eresh. “And shut up. I don’t your opinion or anything from you.”

“Boom. Wasak.” Archer whispered but Plutus heard it based on the glares that he’s throwing at him.

“Tumahimik ka, gago.”

Archer chuckled. “May Fourth na kasi ’yan. She already has someone to protect her. Hanap ka na lang ng walang sabit.”

That’s the thing that Ate Eresh hates the most. For anyone to think or treat her as a someone who is weak. But nobody here thinks of her in that way. Alam naming lahat that she is a very strong woman. A one of a kind.

But she sometimes misunderstood when someone wanted to protect her. She already accepted that fact that she has the EL Ordre now but still, she doesn’t want to be overly depended on us.

Well, she’s been an independent woman ever since.

Fourth sighed. He looked at Ate Eresh beside him and held her hands. Mula kay Plutus ay napatingin si Ate Eresh sa kanya.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” he asked.

And just like that, Ate Eresh eyes softened. Napangiti tuloy ako. Ang bilis-bilis kasing magbago ng mood nya, from being annoyed to being someone who looked so madly inlove when it comes to Fourth.

Napanguso ako. I wonder… Do I also look like that with L?

I looked at my favorite person beside me. Nakita kong may binabalatan syang lollipop at nang matapos ay ibinigay kaagad sa akin. I smiled widely at him before I took the lollipop. He smiled back, eyes looked so bored but I knew better than that.

Hindi sya ngingiti kung ayaw nya since according to him, even a small movement drains his energy. Ibang usapan na kapag sa kama.

I giggled.

Napatingin sa akin si L nang may pagtataka sa mga mata nang marinig ang mahinang pagtawa ko. I blushed so hard when I remembered what I just thought earlier.

Shit! Bakit ganito na ako mag-isip? Nahahawa na ako kay Ate Eresh!

“I will be okay, Loki.” Ate Eresh answered. “As well as our child.”

“Are you sure that it’s a legit information though?” tanong ni V na namumula ang mga mata at ilong dahil sa ginawang pag-iyak kanina. “What if it’s another trap again?”

“Nobody knows who the owner of that voice is.” Hoax commented. “I think we should be careful.”

“Hindi ko alam kung tinutulungan ba tayo ng may-ari ng boses na ’yan o ano.” Viper said.

“I can see the point sa mga sinasabi nyong baka hinahanda lang tayo sa endgame by targeting our emotions. But still, we couldn’t be so sure.” si Aius na kanina pa may hawak na sigarilyo pero hindi naman sinisindihan. “Remember Violet. She acted like she’s been helping us but betrayed us in the end.”

Natahimik ako. Itatanong ko pa sana kung sinong Violet pero naalala kong si Yucca nga pala. I know her as Yucca at hindi pa din ako sanay na tawagin sya as Violet.

Ate Eresh smiled sweetly at Aius. Nagpangalumbaba habang ang isang siko ay nakatukod sa armrest ng sofang inuupuan nya.

“Ang galing nyang umarte, no?” she asked. “Naisahan nya kayong lahat.”

Napangiwi ako. Ate Eresh doesn’t really know how to filter her words! It’s a good thing that the EL Ordre doesn’t get offended!

“I thought that she loves my brother.” Tracer said. Ate Eresh smiled sweetly at him.

“Oh, she does. Her version of love is the destructive one though. It is destroying them both.”

“So… Anong gagawin natin sa information na ’yan?” I asked. Itinuro ko pa ang laptop ni Tracer para malaman nila kung anong tinutukoy ko.

We don’t know who the owner of the voice is and it gave us a crucial information. Paano kung isang trap na naman ito? What if it’s another trap set by the enemies to lure us out?

What if they were just buying time to prepare and gave us the hard time locating them so they could set their trap for us? What if the voice is on the side of the enemies?

Pero paano nga kung tinutulungan nya kami? What if it’s our only time to make a move?

“I’ll survey the place first.” biglang sabi ni Archer kaya napatingin kaming lahat sa kanya. Ang baseball na hinahagis nya sa ere kanina ay pinaglalaruan na lang ng mga kamay nya ngayon. “I’m the sniper. I am used of surveying the place from afar.”

“Mauuna ka doon?” tanong ni Tracer at tumango si Archer sa kanya.

“Para din makalkula natin ang mga galaw na dapat nating gawin.” he said. “Hindi tayo pwedeng sumugod nang walang plano. We’re now at the endgame. It’s too dangerous.”

Napatitig ako kay Archer. Ito yung mga panahon na nagseseryoso sya! No hint of jokes in his voice and face. Para tuloy nag-ibang tao sya.

And there’s this scary aura emitting around him. Telling me that he isn’t just a mere Pawn and a joker in the group.

Tracer looked at L.

“L, can you hack any nearby CCTVs?”

Napatingin din ako kay L at nakita ang pag-iling nya.

“Hindi hagip ng CCTV ang hideout.” he said. “And I couldn’t hack their hideout’s CCTVs.”

“Location nga lang hindi na nating kinaya, paano pa kaya sa loob.” I said.

“This is our only option.” Archer said. “Basta hindi tayo pwedeng sumugod nang walang alam sa lugar.”

“I will go with him.” Kier said. Mabilis na napatingin si V sa kanya.

“Ikaw din?” she asked and Kier nodded.

“I’m a Pawn. It’s my job.”

“No, Kier.” sabi ni Aius na madilim na ang mukha ngayon. There will be no more higher and lower pieces in this team. No more Pawns and King. Iisa na lang din naman ang pinaglalaban natin ngayon.“

I couldn’t help but to smile. See? He’s wrong. He isn’t weak at all.

“Pero hahayaan kita sa gusto mong samahan ni Archer.” he continued. “Mas sanay kayong dalawa sa ganito. You both are always in the frontline.”

“I’ll go with them.” Plutus said. “I doubt if Kier could tolerate all the corny jokes from this asshole.”

Tumawa si Archer at pabirong sinuntok sa braso si Plutus.

“Aminin mo na. You love my jokes and you love me too.”

Plutus looked at him with disgust in his eyes.

“Putangina mo. Nakakadiri ka.”

I laughed with that! Nasasanay na ko sa EL Ordre at araw-araw yata ay hindi nawawala ang biruan sa kanila. Araw-araw din naman ang pagmumura ni Plutus sa tuwing naiinis sya. Particularly at Archer.

“Archer, Kier and Plutus will survey the area and the hideout.” Aius said. “Ang iba ay maiiwan dito but I suggest that we get ready as well. Pagbalik nila, magpaplano kaagad tayo.”

“Sasama akong sumugod sa hideout kapag nakagawa na tayo ng plano.” Tracer. “I want to be there to take back my brother.”

“Are your knees okay though?” Ate Eresh asked. “Mabigat ka pa naman.

Tracer smirked at her. “Fully healed that I could kick the gamemaster hard in his balls.”

We waited for the three to get ready and L prepared their trackers and earpiece as well so we could communicate with them. Archer brought his sniper gun and binoculars to use. Ganoon din sina Plutus at Kier na may kanya-kanyang mga baril na gagamitin in case something will happen.

And I pray that everything will be okay.

Pinapanood ko lang sila habang nag-aayos sila sa harapan namin. They bought flashbang, teargas and anything that could help them escape instead of engaging a fight with the enemies. Dahil ang plano, kapag may hindi magandang mangyari ay tumakas agad sila. As they will only survey the place so we can make a best plan for us.

I sipped on my lollipop as I watched them. They looked so good with their gear up. Maging si Archer, kahit pa kumakanta na naman sya ngayon.

“Nandito na si Kier— ah, hindi sakto. Pero hayaan na.” then he started singing again. “Nandito na si Kier, ang chef ng EL Ordre. Nandito rin si Plutus, si Kylo Villaraza. Nandito din si Archer, ang sexy nilang sniper. Magpapatayan dito, in five, four, three, two—”

He’s being a joker again as the tension was so thick in the air. Kahit ako nga ay kinakabahan para sa kanila. But Archer is trying to lighten the mood again, for us.

“Archer.”

He looked at Ate Eresh who called him.

“Yes?”

“If you can come back alive, I’ll make you the godfather to my firstborn.”

Archer stared at her. Halatang hindi inaasahan ang sinabi ni Ate Eresh. Kahit naman kami. Napatitig pa nga kami sa kanya at hinihintay na bawiin nya ang sinabi nya. But she didn’t.

That’s when Archer grinned at her.

“With lumpiang shanghai sa handa?” he asked that made Ate Eresh rolled her eyes.

“Yes.”

Tumawa si Archer. “Oo ba! Wala pang kahit anong sugat kung gusto mo!”

“What about me? What will you offer If I’ll come back alive?”

Napatingin si Ate Eresh kay Plutus. Ang akala ko pa ay susungitan at babarahin nya kaagad si Plutus dahil sa sinabi nya. Pero mas nagulat pa ako nang tumitig sya doon at parang nag-iisip.

She then sighed and rolled her eyes again.

“I’ll call you by your name.” she said and looked at Fourth beside her. He smiled at her telling her that she did great. 

Plutus smirked at that. Halatang nagustuhan ang offer ni Ate Eresh sa kanya. Now that I think about it, hindi ko pa nga naririnig si Ate Eresh na tawagin sya kahit sa codename man lang! Palaging “the man with amber eyes”.

Kier was talking to his wife. Halata ang kaba sa mukha ni V and Kier’s assuring her that there’s nothing to worry about and that they will all come back.

Minutes later, L checked on their trackers and earpiece if it’s working. Pagkatapos noon ay umalis na sila at naiwan kaming tahimik sa living room.

I really hope that everything will be fine.

Chapter 28

Back when I was still working as the Red Faction’s tracker, I was so used of staying at the hideout when the rest of the members were doing their mission. I served as their eye and guide them as I watched what’s happening through the monitors of my computers. May kaunting kaba para sa kanila but because I always believe that they would accomplish their job, kampante ako.

But this moment seems so much different.

Kabadong-kabado ako. Bilang lang sa mga daliri ang miminsang napasama ako sa misyon that I was in the frontline. At ramdam ko ang pagiging delikado habang papunta pa lang kami noon sa designated location.

I was silently praying that everything will be okay this time. Na babalik sina Archer, Plutus and Kier na walang kahit na anong galos sa katawan. That they will successfully surveyed the area and once they get back, we can now make an effective plan for all of us.

I know that they’re good. That they can get away if something happens. Hindi ko lang talaga maiwasan ang pag-aalala.

Tahimik sa loob ng living room. Palaging ganito everytime there’s a tension in the air. Halata ang kaba sa aming lahat. Especially to V na nakayuko at nakasandal ang noo sa mga kamay nyang magkasiklop.

This must’ve what L felt when I went to the mission without him. Iyong nagpunta kami sa condo unit ni Aius to find another question for us. Nakakabaliw pala sa sobrang kaba but he managed to compose himself so he could still guide us despite to what he’s feeling inside.

Every seconds passing by feels like torture for us. Kahit na noong kaaalis-alis pa lang nila kanina ay ramdam na agad ang kaba sa amin. Parang gusto ko na lang hilahin ang oras at pabilisin so this will be over in an instant!

I guess this is what it feels to have someone you cared for. Here in EL Ordre, we treat each other as a family. Kaya ang pag-aalala ay hindi talaga maiiwasan. Like what a normal family is, na kapag nasa delikadong sitwasyon ang isa sa mga myembro ay mag-aalala ang lahat.

I remember my father, the one who adopted me. I know that he’s worried about me and he doesn’t really want me to go pero hinayaan nya ako sa desisyon ko. Just so I could find myself. I need this to complete myself. Just like how Ate Eresh needs to finish this just so she can finally move on.

After this, I swear, I’m gonna spend more time with my father. And L… Dahil pakiramdam ko ay maraming panahon ang ninakaw sa amin ng larong ito.

And I’m gonna eat lots and lots of lollipops!

I looked at my laptop’s screen. I saw the three red dots moving indicating where Archer, Plutus and Kier are now. They we’re moving towards the location: The Red Faction’s hideout.

I looked at L and I saw that he was busy hacking the CCTV’s na madadaanan ng car na sinasakyan ng tatlo just to make sure that everything is still fine. L was also wearing an earpiece but he promise that he will share it with us kapag nandoon na sila sa hideout.

Judging by his frown, I could tell na puro kalokohan lang muna ang naririnig nya ngayon. All thanks to Archer.

“Ang ingay ni Archer.” L mumbled lazily but I still heard it. Napangiti na lang ako.

Hindi na siguro mawawala kay Archer ang pagiging makulit nya. He always has a way to turn a serious situation into a funny one.

“Malapit na daw sila.” L said after hours of waiting.

He put down his laptop. Saglit syang tumipa doon at nang matapos ay narinig namin ang maingay na boses ni Archer.

“Eto na po, nakarating na po kami sa aming destinasyon.” We heard a car’s door opening. “Pababa na po kami ng sasakyan para kunin ang mga kakailanganin namin at maghanda sa paninilip sa kalaban.”

I heard Tracer chuckled from the word that he used. Seems like Archer was telling us what they’re doing right now para ipaalam na ayos lang sila. ’Cause I’m sure that even though they’re not here and they couldn’t see us, alam nila ang kaba at pag-aalala namin para sa kanila.

“Kinukuha ko na po ang aking sniper bag kung saan nakalagay ang aking pinakamamahal na sniper gun. While Kier and Plutus are loading their guns.” Archer narrated on us. “Pero tayo’y manalangin na hindi namin kailangan gamitin ang mga baril namin.”

We heard Plutus groaned.

“Hindi pa man nagsisimula pero mamamatay na tayo sa kaingayan mo!”

“Objection, Your Honor!” Archer suddenly used an authoritative voice that it somehow amazed me. “The defendant was just narrating what’s happening for the people in the hideout and he never had any intentions to harm his team!”

“Ah, ’ge. Putangina mo pa rin.” Plutus cursed.

“I suddenly feel nervous with the two of you around.” Kier said. “Dapat yata ay hindi kayo magsama.”

Natawa pa rin ako kahit na may kabang nararamdaman. Plutus was the one who volunteer himself to go with them dahil baka hindi daw kayanin ni Kier si Archer. But as what it seems like, mukhang malapit na namang mapikon si Plutus sa kanya.

“Worst team ever.” Ate Eresh said and I somewhat I agreed with her.

They got ready with Archer still narrating things for us. Kahit na minsan ay nakakapikon sya, mas madalas naman ang mga times na naa-appreciate ko ang pagiging palabiro nya. Just like now. Feeling ko kasi ay mas lalo akong kakabahan kung wala akong maririnig mula sa kaniala.

“You need a lollipop?” tanong sa akin ni L habang hinihintay namin sina Archer na pumwesto sa kani-kanilang mga posisyon. L must’ve sense my anxiousness and he wanted me to calm down so he offered me a lollipop.

I looked at him and shook my head. I think lollipop isn’t enough to calm me down. I just wanted for them to come back alive.

“Nasa taas ako ng puno.” Archer said. “And fuck it. It’s so hard to use my gun like this!”

Aius made a low chuckled. “Panindigan mo ’yan.”

“Nasa gitna ng gubat ang hideout.” Kier’s voice was heard. “It doesn’t look anything like a hideout. Parang tagong villa lang.”

“Ang daming pera ng Red Faction, no? Daming hideout tapos lahat villa.”

“Of course. The gamemaster funded it for us.” Ate Eresh said to Archer’s comment.

Napansin kong napatingin silang lahat kay Ate Eresh. Kahit si L na mukhang nagulat pa talaga. I looked at everyone and they have the same expression on their faces na ipinagtaka namin ni Ate Eresh..

“All of those hideout you had?” Fourth asked to her. Maging sya ay parang nagulat sa nalaman.

Ate Eresh frowned at him before she looked at everyone, still with a frown on her face. Ibinalik nya ang tingin kay Fourth pagkatapos.

“Yes… All of it.”

Aius whistled. “Ayos, ah. Pahirapan pa nga bago pinondohan ng gobyerno ang hideout na’to. Even our first hideout was L’s house!”

“For sure the government has funds for this as the EL Ordre is helping them. I mean that’s just fair.” Ate Eresh said. “But I’m sure as well na napunta din naman sa bulsa nila ang pondong para sa inyo.”

“Hindi ko itatanggi ’yan.” Viper seconded. “We really have a corrupt government.”

Ate Eresh smiled at him. She looked so proud that one of the EL Ordre members agreed with her. That she was wrong about them being a blind followers.

“The villa had three floors.” dinig naming sabi ni Plutus maya-maya. “May mga nakabantay sa bawat floors. Pati na rin sa harap at sa likod. They’re everywhere.”

“Do you think that they were just hired goons and not professional assassins like us?” Kier asked.

“I have no idea. Si Archer nga mukhang tatanga-tanga pero sinong mag-aakala na isa syang lawyer as well as professional assassin and the best sniper?”

“Ako na naman!” dinig naming reklamo ni Archer pero natawa rin naman pagkatapos. “But thanks for the compliment.”

“Pero putangina mo pa rin talaga.”

“Love you too!”

“Kung tapos na kayo, pwede bang bumalik na kayo dito sa hideout?” parang nauubos na ang pasensya na sabi ni Aius.

“Ah, saglit lang. Baka makita ko ’yung matandang gurang na bored na sa buhay kaya pinaglaruan tayo.”

Aius took a deep breath. “I said get back here. Now.”

Napatingin ako kay Aius. He looked so serious while looking at the laptop na para bang nandoon ang makulit nyang kaibigan.

“Sabi ko nga.” We heard Archer mumbled at parang nakahinga na ng maluwag si Aius.

He said that there will be no more higher and lower pieces in the EL Ordre and that we should treat each other fairly as we all have the same goal. Isa pa, nandito din kami ni Ate Eresh na hindi naman nila ka-grupo noon so I think it just make sense not to obey that rule anymore.

Afterall, we are human and not chess pieces that should be played.

Pero kung gagamitin ni Aius ang ganoong tono ng boses nya, lahat ay mapapasunod talaga. He sounds so serious and authoritative without putting so much effort at hindi na ako magtataka kung paano nahalata ni Ate Eresh noon na sya nga ang King ng EL Ordre.

When Plutus, Archer and Kier said that their on their way back, saka lang kami nakahinga nang maluwag. I’m so glad that nothing bad happened to them!

“Eresh, ninong ako, ah! Tapos ’yung lumpia sa handa ’wag mong kakalimutan. Damihan mo na din kasi mag-uuwi ako.”

Iyon agad ang sinabi ni Archer pagkapasok na pagkapasok nya sa hideout. Ate Eresh rolled her eyes at him pero hindi naman tumanggi o kung ano.

We didn’t waste anytime and made a plan to infiltrate the enemy’s hideout. Ate Eresh said that it’s better if we move soon at atakihin sila nang hindi nila inaasahan. And we all agreed on that. Kung mas lalo pa namin patatagalin ’to ay mas lalakas pa ang depensa nila.

Three days after, they execute the plan after making sure that it is polish at walang butas sa magiging plano namin. “They” dahil naiwan kami nina L, Hoax, and Viper sa hideout. So that L and I could guide them. Kailangan ni L ng tulong ngayon sa pagiging tracker nila.

We were all expecting that this will go well as we thought of the plan thoroughly. But little did we know, may butas sa plano namin na hindi namin nakita.

Isang butas na magpapahamak ng isa sa amin.

Chapter 29

I was typing on my laptop while the rest of the EL Ordre was busy preparing for our mission. Today is the day when we plan to infiltrate the enemy’s hideout as we already have our plan. And for them, it is the perfect plan we could’ve think of.

I looked at L and Alter who were busy with their own laptops. Maybe they’re trying to connect them dahil sila ang maiiwan dito sa hideout to serve as our tracker and guide for us, as I will go to the enemy’s hideout with the rest of the members. Iyon ang nakaplano.

 Muli akong tumingin sa laptop ko and typed something in there. Hindi pa ako nakakapag-handa while the rest of them are almost ready now. I was still even wearing my plain shirt and a khaki shorts, hindi mapaghahalataan na may pupuntahan akong mission ngayon.

I will just finish this first before I will get ready.

Kaya mas binilisan ko pa ang pagtitipa sa laptop ko, groaning inwardly now that it can be heard. Napansin ko na napalingon pa sa akin si L.

Damn it.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

I answered him, without taking my eyes off the screen.

“Making sure that everything will be alright for us.”

Alter removed the lollipop that’s inside her mouth and looked at me as well.

“Just leave it to us, Tracer. You should get ready now para makapag-focus ka.”

With my eyes still on my laptop, I smirked at her. Hindi ko rin tinigilan ang pagtitipa doon.

“Nah. I’m almost done anyway.”

And with just a few words, I finally finished what I’m doing. I turned off my laptop, closed it and stood up so I can get ready for the mission. Katatayo ko pa lang nang hagisan ako ni Aius ng tactical vest na muntik ko pang hindi masalo.

I smirked at the fucker who now got everything that he needs kaya ako ang binubulabog.

“Remember, fucker. You musn’t die.” I reminded him. He chuckled and handed me a camouflage button down polo. It was longsleeve and has a turtle neck style.

“Nobody should die in this mission, fucker.” he said. “And we’re gonna get your brothe back.”

I just smirked at him again and didn’t say anything. Naging abala ako sa pagbibihis na kinailangan ko pang bilisan dahil patapos na silang lahat. Archer and Aius helped me put on with my vest as I was busy choosing for a gun that I could use.

L gave us an earpiece again one by one so we could communicate with each other. He let us test it and made sure that there will be no problem about our communication. Katulad ng nangyari sa grupo nila Fourth at Aius noon.

Their earpiece got damaged because of the explosion kaya hindi matigil si L sa pagpapaalala sa amin na ingatan ang earpiece namin. And if ever it will break, at least we should try to go with someone who’s earpiece is still working para masigurong walang mapapahamak.

They are really making sure that nobody will die in this mission that I can understand. This is the endgame. Malapit nang matapos ang laro and we want everyone to be there when the game ended.

I suddenly remember about my brother. He’s good with things like this. Inventing gadgets that we could use for our mission as he was our shield. Like how he provides security for us. Like the necklace that he built for Artemis when he learned that Fourth wanted her to act as a Pawn.

If only he’s here, I’m sure that he will also provide us an earpiece that will last long.

“You’re all set.” L said when he made sure that all of our earpiece are working. “And just like before, sa earpiece na din na ’yan nakakakabit ang tracker nyo so don’t lose it.”

“Mag-iingat kayo.” bilin sa amin ni Alter.

“Hoax, keep an eye on Ishtar.” sabi ni Aius sa dakilang taga-bantay ni Ishtar.

None of us tried to go to her room except for Eresh that day when she needed to let her emotions out. And Hoax was the only one who goes in and out of her room to provide her needs.

We just couldn’t accept what she did to us. Especially to Aius. Hindi man ako ang direktang nagbigay ng proteksyon sa kanya noon, I still felt angry when I got to know what she did. If she didn’t want the protection that was given to her, if she didn’t like to be protected, then it doesn’t mean that she could betray us by killing the only person that Aius’ love.

She’s selfish. Kaya hindi ko masisisi ang iba kung magkaroon din sila ng sama ng loob sa kanya.

I looked at Aius. He seemed so fine on the outside but I know that he’s drowning with Angela’s memories.

“Kier, take care of V.” bilin ni Viper kay Kier dahil isa din sya sa maiiwan dito sa hideout and Kier and V will go with us.

Kier nodded and V hugged his step-brother. Ilan pang bilin mula kina L at Alter bago nila kami pinakawalan.

Sa daan ay mahahalata ang kaba sa kanilang lahat. They’re thinking that this is our last mission. That after this, matatapos na rin sa wakas ang laro. Na mababawi ko na ang kapatid ko and that we will be able to kill the gamemaster.

I know that they are hoping that good things will happen in this mission. But still, we can’t be so sure.

I looked outside the window. Ang madilim na daan at paunti-unting street lamps ang nagsasabing nasa probinsya na kami kung nasaan ang hideout ng Red Faction. The tension rose between the members at ang kaninang maingay na si Archer ay medyo tumahimik na rin ngayon.

“Hey.”

Napalingon ako kay Plutus nang biglang magsalita ang loko. He wasn’t looking at me but to Eresh and based on the look in his eyes, the bastard is on it again.

“You said you’re gonna call me by my name if I came back alive.” the side of his lips rose for a smirk. “And I did. I want to hear it now.”

Napailing ako sa katarantaduhan ng gago. Kung minsan ay hindi ko alam kung seryoso ba sya sa pagpapapansin kay Eresh o nanggagago na lang.

But his moves were the same with those highschool boy crushing on someone and he wanted her to notice him. I guess this asshole really has a feelings for Eresh.

Couldn’t blame him. Eresh is beautiful plus the fact that she’s brave, literally, and brave to own up to her mistake. Kahit sino ay hahanga sa kanya. And the asshole got it so bad.

“C’mon, Eresh.” Plutus probe her and he looked like he’s enjoying the way how he said her name. “Say my name.”

“You really can’t get over with that, huh?” inis na sabi ni Eresh.

Plutus smirked at her. “We had an agreement, Eresh. What? Can’t stick with your own words? Dapat bang gumawa ako written contract dahil wala kang isang salita?”

I know that Plutus was just provoking her to make her do what he wanted. Isa pa naman ’to si Eresh sa mga ayaw magpatalo. And it actually worked as Eresh threw a death glare at him but Plutus, being an asshole that he is, smirked even more.

“C’mon, Your Majesty. I’m waiting.” pang-aasar pa nya.

I looked at Fourth to check if he’s feeling disrespected by what Plutus is doing with his fiancee. Pero base sa naglalarong ngisi sa mga labi nya, seems like he’s enjoying it too.

I shook my head in disbelief. Siguro ay sobrang kampante nya kay Eresh. He trusts her so much. Kung sabagay, sa lahat ng pinagdaanan nila, I bet Eresh wouldn’t be able to love another man but Fourth.

He is her home.

“You’re so fucking annoying!” Eresh spat at Plutus.

“Say my name, Your Majesty.”

Tumingin si Eresh kay Fourth, her eyes asking for help. But Fourth chuckled and leaned towards his fiancee to whisper something. Nakita kong napasimangot si Eresh bago binalingan si Plutus.

Eresh was still frowning when she opened her mouth. Mas lalong napangisi ang gago.

“Plutus…” Eresh said so softly. We heard the asshole chuckled.

“That’s my codename, Eresh. Ang usapan, pangalan ko.”

“Ang arte-arte mo!” Eresh shouted at him. He chuckled so loud and it was obvious that he’s enjoying this.

“C’mon! That’s just two syllables. Isang segundo lang ang mababawas sa oras mo.”

She glared at him. Kaming lahat ay pinapanood lang ang dalawa, sandaling nawala ang kaba dahil sa aliw sa kanila. And I think that this is also the reason why Plutus choose this exact time to remind Eresh about their agreement.

If anything happens, at least he heard his crush finally says his name.

Eresh closed her eyes before she heaved a deep breath and sighed. When she opened her eyes again, seryoso ang mga mata nya nang tumingin kay Plutus that made his smirk fade from his lips.

“Kylo.”

Mabilis akong tumingin sa gago pagkatapos sabihin ni Eresh ang pangalan nya. Hindi ko alam kung matatawa ba ako sa itsura nya ngayong nakatulala at parang naestatwa na habang nakatingin kay Eresh. Seems like the way how he calls his name affected him. Big time.

Gago. Mang-aasar pero sya naman pala matatalo sa huli.

Then the asshole chuckled. He sounded like he’s amazed with her and was speechless now. He looked at Fourth instead.

“Tangina, Fourth.” he cursed. “I like your girl so damn much.”

Gago. Alam na ng lahat ’yan.

Instead of being annoyed by that sudden confession, Fourth smirked at Plutus before he looked at Eresh beside him.

“Couldn’t actually blame you.” he said using his thick British accent.

“Move on na kasi, ’torni.” Archer said and he even tapped Plutus on the back. Malakas nga lang. “Wala ka na nga kasing pag-asa dyan.”

“I’m not even hoping.”

Si Plutus naman ngayon ang nakatanggap ng pang-aasar mula kay Archer. I shook my head before I looked outside the window again.

“We’re here.” Kier announced at ang kaninang nawalang tensyon ay mabilis na bumalik sa amin.

I stared outside the window and now that it’s the middle of the night, the road looked like it was deserted and there’s a creepy aura surrounding the forest.

Isa-isa ay nagbabaan sila ng sasakyan. I was the last one to went out of the van. I looked at everyone before looking at the forest like I could the hideout from here.

“You ready?” I heard L asked us from the other line.

Nobody answered his question. They are not still ready for this, but they know that they should. And they must.

So I took the courage to answer L’s question.

“Ready.”

Damn it.

Chapter 30

I put on my mask and I suddenly felt nostalgia. The memories when I was doing the mission for the government came back to me. This is just how it was back then. Wearing a tactical vest, gun holters on the waist and thighs, and a black mask to hide our identities.

I looked at my team when we got inside the forest. I wanna keep this scene in my mind. Si Archer ay nakahanap na ng mapu-pwestuhang puno. I smirked at the fucker when I saw him having the worst time of his life trying to climb up the tall tree.

I stopped on my tracks to watch him. Ang iba ay hinayaan ko nang maunang maglakad.

“Pwede ka nang mag-apply na maging unggoy.” sabi ko kay Archer.

Napatigil sa ginagawang pagtatangkang pag-akyat ng puno si Archer. He glared at me that made me chuckle. Nilapitan ko sya para kunin ang sniper bag na nakasabit sa likuran nya so he can move better. He tried climbing up the tree again.

“This is what I hate when there are no buildings around.” he said. Halata sa boses ang paghihirap as he tried to hold on one of the tree’s branches. “Fuck it! Ako lang nahihirapan ng ganito sa inyo!”

He grunted as he tried to lift his body up. Aliw na aliw ako habang pinapanood ang gago na mukhang unggoy na kinulang sa buwan habang umaakyat ng puno.

“Shut up, fucker.” I said. “Reklamo ka nang reklamo. Daig pa ng bibig mo ang pwet ng manok.”

“Fuck you as always, fucker!”

I grinned. Ibinigay ko ang bag sa kanya nang makaakyat na sya sa isa sa mga sanga. He needs to climb higher if he wanted to have a good view of the hideout.

“Fuck you too, fucker.”

Nagpatuloy na ako sa paglalakad nang maibigay ang sniper bag ni Archer sa kanya. Iniwan ko syang binubulong-bulong ang pagrereklamo nya. Narinig ko pa nga na mahihirapan pa raw syang makahanap ng pwesto sa taas ng punong ’yon. I left as I couldn’t pretend to care about his rants.

When we could finally see the hideout, we hid behind a tree as we saw that there are two person’s guarding the main gate. We tried to communicate using our eye pero dahil may kadiliman ay nahirapan akong makita ang mga mata nila.

“We’ll go first.” Plutus whispered that can be heard on the earpiece.

Tumingin ako kung nasaan sya. He’s hiding behind a tree next to mine. He was holding his left ear to where his earpiece is.

“We will take them down. Just like the plan.” he said.

We nodded. Kier, V and Plutus will be on the frontline. They will clear the way for us para mabilis kaming makapunta doon sa gamemaster’s room. Aius needs to be protected as for the Red Faction, he is still the EL Ordre’s King. Kapag namatay sya ay matatalo na kami sa laro.

Eresh is still the Red Faction’s Queen even if she already teamed up with us. And my gut tells me that the gamemaster still has an interest on her and he will try to take her away from us or… kill her. Dahil alam nyang malaki ang maitutulong nya sa amin as she has the brain. And Fourth needs to protect his Queen.

And then there’s me who wanted to take my brother back.

I saw Plutus tried to sneak behind one of the guards. When the guard was about to turn around, he grabbed its head. Malakas nyang tinuhod ang mukha ng kalaban that it fainted and fell on the ground.

The other guard noticed the commotion and before it can alert the others, Plutus threw a hard punch on its face. Hindi nya hinayaang matumba ang kalaban. He pulled him on the collar of his shirt and kneed pn its stomach continously. Sa panghuli ay nagbigay ulit sya ng isang malakas na suntok na nagpatumba sa kalaban.

“Tangina.” he cursed as he massaged his knuckles. “Titigas ng mukha, ah?”

Kier and V moved in sync. They shoot the enemies in sight with a tranquilizer. We decided not to kill them dahil nadamay lang din naman sila sa laro. It is on the plan that nobody will die in this mission except for the gamemaster.

I was holding my gun as we moved passed the gate. Maingat na hindi makagawa ng ingay that may alert the enemies. I saw an enemy that was on the balcony who noticed us pero maya-maya ay nasa sahig na. It must be Archer that shot him.

Mukhang nakahanap na ng pwesto ang gago.

We never had any problem as we sneaked in. Mukhang hindi naman nakahalata ang mga tao sa loob sa nangyari sa labas. We made sure that we wouldn’t make any noise that can alert them.

But as soon as we got in, I noticed that something is different. It was unusually quiet and there were no enemies around. I am not sure kung sa labas lang naglagay ng bantay at wala talaga dito sa loob.

I looked around the place. The hideout looks like their previous hideout that was on the forest as well. Sa tingin ko ay sinadyang ipagawang magkapareho para hindi malito sa pabago-bago ng interior.

Malawak ang loob. It has a chandelier above that gives lights to the room. May grand staircase na nasa gitna that will leads us to the second floor of the villa.

“I’m getting a bad feeling about this.” Eresh said and she’s looking around as well.

Napatingin ako sa kanya at sakto ang paghawak ni Fourth sa isang kamay nya. He pulled her close to him and he slightly hid her behind his back like he’s protecting her.

“Stay beside me.” he said.

Tumingin ako kay Plutus and I saw him staring at the grand staircase. I looked to where he was looking but I don’t see anything special about it.

“L, we’re inside.” Aius notified L. “There’s no one’s around.”

“I still can’t breach their security wall.” I heard L said from the other line. “What about Archer?”

“I don’t see any movements on the second floor.” dinig kong sabi ni Archer.

“Is this another trap?” V asked, trying to hide the worry in her voice but she failed.

Natahimik kami. Sinuyod ko ng tingin ang buong villa, hoping to see signs of my brother. But as this villa is a hideout and not a house, I don’t really expect to see any family picture here. At wala din kahit na anong bakas ng kapatid ko.

“Should we inspect upstairs?” I suggested. “We might be able to see something.”

“I think we should.” Aius agreed. “Hindi naman siguro sila maglalagay ng mga bantay sa labas kung wala naman talagang dapat makita dito sa loob.

“But what if this is really a trap?” Kier asked.

“What could be worse than that?” Plutus asked. Seryoso ang mga mata habang nakatingin pa rin sa hagdan.

“Getting one of us killed?”

We all looked at Eresh. She looked like she just said that without putting much thought in it. This is one of those time when she wanted to say what just popped up in her mind. Kaya nang tumingin pabalik sa amin ay parang nagulat pa.

“Oops.” she said as she put her fingers over her lips. “I shouldn’t have said that. I might jinx it.”

Fourth sighed. At base sa buntong-hiningang iyon, it’s obvious that he’s worried. He’s smart, kaya nga bagay na bagay sila ni Eresh. And I know that he has the grasp on what might happened.

Among all of us, it is much likely that Aius or Eresh will be the one who might get killed. The gamemaster wanted to kill the King of the EL Ordre to stop the game and let the Red Faction win. Or Eresh as she can give so much help to us with her plans.

“Siguro kaya walang masyadong bantay sa loob, they weren’t expecting us to make a move.” Alter said. “We’re like that in the hideout. Kasi kampante kaming hindi kami mahahanap at hindi makakasugod sa amin ang EL Ordre.”

Aius looked at Eresh, confirming what Alter had said. Tumango si Eresh at ang ilang hibla ng maikli nyang buhok ay iniligay nya sa likod ng tenga nya.

“Yeah. Why? Everyday ready ba kayo sa EL Ordre? Ready if we attack in case?”

Umiling si Aius. “Hindi. Besides, Shielder made the best security for us.”

“Aakyat kayo?” we heard Archer asked. “I saw some movements upstairs. Mukhang hindi nga sila handa sa pag-atake natin ngayon.”

We all looked at Eresh. Giving her the decision as this is her plan. She looked back at us but her focus isn’t really on us. Mukhang nag-iisip kung anong tamang gawin.

I know that the rest were having a hard time to make a decision as well and because Eresh is our plan maker, hinayaan namin na ibigay sa kanya ang desisyon.

I looked at the grand staircase again. Kung ako lang, I will go upstairs. We’re here and this is the closest thing we got about the Red Faction. It’s better if we took this chance kaysa bumalik sa hideout at bumalik sa umpisa.

“If this is a trap, I’m sure that we are all can get out of here.” I said. Helping Eresh to make a decision. “We just have to protect Aius. He’s still the King of EL Ordre.”

“So you’re suggesting that we should go upstairs?” Eresh asked me. Humalukipkip pa sya at nagtaas ng kilay sa akin.

I chuckled. “Nah. I was just stating my opinion.”

Muling napahimik si Eresh. She looked at Fourth, parang naghahanap ng lakas para makapagdesisyon ng tama. I suddenly felt bad about giving her such a big responsibility like this.

She sighed. Tumingin sya sa amin pagkatapos. Determination is in her eyes.

“Let’s go upstairs.” she said. “I don’t wanna go back to the hideout again and start from the beginning while feeling so lost. At least now, we’re making a progress.”

I smirked. Ah… We made the right thing appointing her as our plan maker. Palaban sya. She wanted to take the gamemaster, head-on. Ngayong ito ang pinakamalapit na clue, she doesn’t want this chance to go to waste.

Kagaya kanina, nauuna sa amin sina Plutus, V and Kier. Their stance was onguard. Nasa hulihan ako, guiding our rear but I don’t see any reason for that. Tulog na ang lahat ng mga kalaban sa ibaba.

The three in the front guided our way. Sinundan nila ang direksyon na sinabi ni Eresh kung nasaan ang gamemaster room. My eyes were roaming around the hall. I didn’t have any chance to do that back at the previous hideout of the Red Faction so I couldn’t really tell if there was any differences.

“Nasa kabilang side yung nakita ko kanina.” Archer told us and it makes sense why we do not see any guards roaming around. 

Siguro ay isang tao lang ang pinagbantay nila dito sa second floor at dinamihan sa labas.

“Is this it?” Plutus asked Eresh. Nakatayo sya sa harap ng isang nakasaradong pinto.

Eresh had a grim expression on her face when she nodded. She walked passed by him. Lumapit sya sa pinto at hinawakan ang doorknob.

“Wait, Eresh.” pigil sa kanya ni Fourth. We are crowding the hallway but V and Kier were guarding our rear. “I’ll open it.”

Ilang sandaling tumitig si Eresh kay Fourth bago tumango. Tumabi sya at pumalit si Fourth sa pwesto nya. He hold his gun and turned the doorknob.

Hinanda namin ang mga baril nang bumukas ang pinto. The room’s light wasn’t on but the CCTV monitors that was inside were on and its enough to give light to the dark room. Gamit ang liwanag na iyon ay nakita naming walang tao sa loob.

Tuloy-tuloy na pumasok si Eresh sa loob. Her eyes roamed around the room and when she made sure that no one’s around, she looked back at us, gritting her teeth and I saw anger in her eyes.

“They’re not here.”

We all went inside. There were about ten CCTV monitors in the room kaya sapat ang liwanag para makakita kami. Nobody turned the lights on for precaution.

“That voice… was just playing with us.” V concluded.

“I don’t think so.” Aius said. “Plutus and Archer surveyed the area before this, right? And there were guards guarding this villa. Maybe something is here.”

“Baka hindi talaga nila kasama ang gamemaster?” Archer asked.

Tahimik lang ako habang pinapakinggan silang magpalitan ng opinion. I looked at the CCTV monitors na mukhang hindi pa nila napapansin. Or they’re too busy to notice it.

All of the monitors were showing one place. And we all know where it was.

“Wait…” Eresh said. She was already looking at the monitor. “Isn’t that the EL Ordre’s hideout?”

Finally… They noticed it now.

We saw L and Alter sitting on the living room, busy with their laptop. Si Viper ay nakatayo at naglilibot sa kaparehong lugar sa loob ng hideout. While Hoax was just sitting and watching the two trackers work in front of him. Si Ishtar ay nasa loob pa rin ng kwarto nya.

I reached for my ear and pressed the earpiece to speak.

“L… It’s a trap.”

As soon as I said that, mula sa mga monitors ay nakita namin ang pagpasok ng mga tao sa hideout. Viper was fast and shoots dead some of them pero napatigil nang makita ang dalawang bagong pasok sa living room.

“Shielder.” I heard L’s voice on the other line.

Napatayo si Alter and L hid her behind his back. Viper and Hoax were pointing their guns at my brother. I clenched my fist when I saw what’s happening on the monitor.

“Fuck you, assholes! Huwag ang kapatid ko!” I angrily said.

“We… we should go back.” V said but none of us move.

It’s useless. The hideout was four hours drive away from us!

I saw my brother smirked at L. Naglakad sya palapit sa kanila and Viper and Hoax didn’t know what to do.

“It’s good to see you alive and well, L.” he said.

He was wearing an all black three piece suit. Hindi ko makita ang dating kapatid ko sa kanya. My brother doesn’t wear grim clothes like that like he’s attenting someone’s funeral.

“Shielder… I know you’re Tracer’s brother but I wouldn’t think twice to hurt you.”

My brother bit his lower lip like he’s trying to supress his laughter. Pero hindi nya nagawa at tumawa nang malakas.

“L, don’t engage in a fight.” sabi ni AIus na nakatingin din sa monitor at nakahawak ang isang kamay sa earpiece habang nagsasalita. “Don’t do anything that might trigger him!”

“Anong gusto nyo? Tumungaga na lang ako dito?!”

“Ang EL Ordre ba ’yan?” my brother asked. He pointed at one of the CCTVs. “They can see us. Wave at them!” Nakakaloko syang tumawa pagkatapos.

“Get out, Shielder.” L firmly said.

Natigilan ang kapatid ko sa pagtawa. Tumingin sya kay L na parang nasaktan sa sinabi nya.

“That hurts, L! I’m part of the EL Ordre too, right? Bakit parang hindi ako welcome dito sa bago nyong hideout?”

“Tell your Pawns to put down their gun.” sabi ni Viper na nakatutok pa din ang baril sa kapatid ko hanggang ngayon.

Shielder looked back at his hired Pawns. He motioned something on his hands like telling them to put down their guns pero hindi natapos dahil malakas na tumawa na naman.

“Ano ako? Utu-uto?” he chuckled. “Give us Alter. Walang masasaktan kapag binigay nyo sya sa akin. I promise!”

Mas lalong itinago ni L si Alter sa likod nya. “I swear, Shielder. If you ever make a move—”

He wasn’t able to finish his sentence as my brother made a drastic move. He reached his gun from his back and shoots Viper’s gun out of his hand. Viper was caught off-guard and Shielder attacked him and gave him a spin kick. Natumba si Viper sa sahig and Shielder pointed his gun at him and shoots him on his leg.

“Kuya!” tili ni V nang makita ang sinapit ng kapatid.

Hoax was too slow against them. He didn’t receive any training like us but he still did his best. Still, he was nothing against Yucca. Mabilis syang napatumba ng babae and she immediately stood up and approached L.

L reached for his gun pero bago nya pa maitutok kay Yucca ay binaril iyon ni Gray palayo sa kamay nya. Gray attacked him and Yucca took care of Alter.

“Codee!” Eresh slammed her hands on the panel in front of the CCTV monitors. “Fuck! Tangina, Yucca! I should’ve killed you back then!”

I could see everybody’s frustration. Wala silang magawa kundi ang manood na lang sa monitor sa mga nangyayari sa hideout. Dahil alam naming lahat na wala na kaming aabutan kahit na umalis pa kami ngayon.

Alter slapped Yucca on the face. That triggered her. Hinabot nya ang buhok ni Alter at binigyan ng magkakasunod na suntok sa tyan.

“Fuck! Codee!” L shouted. Tutulungan na sana ang kasintahan but Shielder stopped him.

“Ako ang kalaban mo, L.”

They fought and based on my brother’s moves, he was aiming for L’s gunshots wounds. He gave a hard punched on his chest na ginantihan naman ni L.

Marahas akong napasuklay sa buhok ko. Fuck it! I don’t want my brother to get hurt but I don’t want him to hurt others as well!

“Go on, L. If you want your beloved woman to die in front of you.”

Napatigil sa tangkang pagsuntok sa kapatid ko si L at tumingin kay Yucca. Her arm locked on Alter’s neck at may nakatutok na baril sa ulo ni Alter. That stopped L from fighting against my brother.

Viper and Hoax were injured and they couldn’t move much. Si L ay walang magawa ngayon dahil buhay naman ni Alter ang magiging kapalit.

My brother smirked. He wiped the blood in the corner of his lips and stood near Yucca. Tumingin sya sa itaas ng hagdan at napangisi.

“What are you gonna do, useless Queen?”

Ishtar was standing on the stairs. Tears were rolling down her face as he looked at Shielder.

“Don’t hurt her, please.” she said. “Huwag mo na silang saktan.”

My brother chuckled. “Wala naman talaga akong planong saktan sila kung binigay lang nila agad sa akin si Alter.” he cocked his head sideways. “What? Are you gonna stop us?”

“Alam mong wala akong laban sa inyo.”

Mas lalong natawa ang kapatid ko. “I know. Kaya nga kita tinawag na useless diba? You can’t do anything to save someone yet you had the audacity to ask for more than what a person could give you.”

Shielder looked at L.

“Don’t worry. I won’t hurt her. I just need to use her to get my Queen back.”

Napatingin kaming lahat kay Eresh na may panggigigil sa mga mata habang nakatingin sa mga monitor. Fourth was silent beside her.

“Let’s go.” my brother said to Yucca.

L tried to make a move pero mas lalong diniinan ni Yucca ang baril sa ulo ni Alter. Alter closed her eyes and it’s obvious that she’s scared.

“Don’t you dare follow us.” Yucca warned. “She’s nothing to me and I will not hesitate to kill her.”

Walang nagawa si L kundi ang tumayo na lang doon. Alter didn’t resist as she knew that the more will get hurt if she does. The last thing we saw was Shielder and Yucca walking out of the hideout with Alter.

The scene on the monitors change. A man in his white suit was sitting alone in a dark room. His face was covered with a white mask and he’s wearing a tall hat.

“Greetings, EL Ordre… and to the Mad Queen.”

With those words, it triggered Eresh’s anger. Galit na galit sya habang nakatitig sya mga monitor na iisa lang ang pinapakita. It made the scene more creepier.

“Fuck you! Fuck you, you son of a bitch!” sigaw nya habang paulit-ulit na pinaghahampas ang panel board. “Ibalik mo si Codee!”

The man chuckled. At alam kong kilala na ng lahat kung sino ang nakikita namin ngayon.

It was the gamemaster.

“That wouldn’t be so fair.” he said and the enjoyment is evident in his voice. “Let’s have a trade, shall we? You, in exchange of the tracker.”

“Fuck you, bastard! Asshole! Hinding-hindi ako papanig sayo!”

“Then the girl will die.”

Sa sobrang galit ay nakita ko ang pagtulo ng luha sa mga mata ni Eresh that gave more enjoyment to the gamemaster. Mas lalo syang tumawa.

“Mad Queen… I don’t tolerate betrayal in a group.” he said.

“Putangina mo!”

He chuckled. “Or pwede din naman ang King ng EL Ordre but that would only mean that the team lost in this game. Then the Red Faction can do anything to you.” he shrugged his shoulders. “It’s more exciting if it’s you, Mad Queen.”

Eresh screamed. She frustratedly combed her hair and glared at the gamemaster.

“I’m gonna fucking you, you son of a bitch!”

Why do I feel like that the gamemaster was smirking behind his mask?

“Sacrifice, Mad Queen.” he said. His voice was fading. “You, in exchange of the tracker.”

Pagkatapos sabihin iyon ng gamemaster ay biglang naging all white na lang ang screen. That angered Eresh more at nagsimula syang magwala.

“You, son of a bitch!” she screamed. Paulit-ulit na hinahampas ang panel board. “I’m gonna fucking kill you, I swear! Fuck! I’m gonna fucking kill you! Son of a bitch!”

Fourth tried to stop her but she was livid. I closed my eyes and balled my fist to stop my anger. Eresh’s voice was the only thing I could hear with my eyes closed.

“I’m gonna fucking kill you!”

Chapter 31

I was crying while we’re on our way back to the hideout. Mahigpit na nakahawak si Death sa mga kamay ko, giving me comfort pero hindi ko pa rin maiwasan ang mag-alala para kay Kuya Vander. Sa binti sya natamaan and I know that he will live but still, I’m worried about him.

Tahimik kami sa daan. The grim expression on everyone’s face was evident at alam kong pare-parehas kami ng nararamdaman. We’re angry. Angry to the gamemaster and to ourselves dahil hinayaan na naman naming mahulog kami sa patibong nila.

I want this game to end. I want everyone of us to live a normal life. “Cause we all deserve it. We don’t want to be in this game anymore.

Pagkaparada pa lang ng sasakyan sa harap ng hideout ay mabilis kong binuksan ang pinto. I quickly went out of the car even if I heard Death calling my name. Pumasok ako sa loob ng hideout, almost running but when I saw the scene inside, napatigil ako.

Sobrang gulo sa loob ng living room. The dead bodies of the hired Pawn were nowhere to be found pero ang dugo ay nasa sahig pa din. I bet Hoax already took care of it as L was just sitting on the sofa. Sapo ang ulo habang ang mga siko ay nakapatong sa mga hita nya.

“Where’s Kuya Vander?” tanong ko kay Hoax nang makitang pumasok sya sa living room.

He pointed upstairs.

“Ishtar is treating him.”

I looked at L first before I decided to went upstairs. My heart was thumping so loud. I know that my Kuya Vander will be okay  but I need to see it with my own eyes first bago ako makalma.

Kuya Vander doesn’t have a good fighting skills. He doesn’t have a parents who’s a chess piece before kaya hindi sya nagkaroon ng training sa pakikipaglaban. He’s only in this mess because of me. Because he wanted to take my position as the Pawn of EL Ordre. I was out of the game because of him and my children will not inherit my position.

Kaya kung may masamang mangyari sa kanya ay kasalanan ko.

Padarag kong binuksan ang pintuan sa kwarto nya. Sabay pa silang napatingin ni Ishtar sa akin. She was already dressing his wound when I came in.

“Vexen…” Kuya Vander mumbled my name.

Pinasadahan ko sya ng tingin. He was sitting on the bed while his back was leaning on the headboard. He looked like a mess. Ang pants na suot ay pinunit kung nasaan ang sugat nya so Ishtar can treat it better. Punong-puno ng dugo iyon. But other than that, Kuya Vander looked okay.

Relief flood through me. Nanghihina akong napaupo sa gilid ng kama nya. Ishtar stood up as she was already done treating his wounds. Tumingala ako sa kanya.

“He’ll be okay, right?” I asked. Ishtar blinked like she’s surprised that I’m talking to her.

She nodded. “Natanggal ko na ang bala. He just needs to rest para mabawi ang lakas nya.”

I smiled at her. “Thank you.”

Tumingin ako kay Kuya Vander. He looked pale dahil sa dugong nawala sa kanya but a few days rest will make his color came back again. Nakahinga ako nang maluwag.

“I was so scared.” I softly said.

Seeing everything happening on the CCTV monitors made me go crazy. That feeling na wala kang magawa kundi ang manood na lang. ’Cause even if we went back, we all know na wala na kaming aabutan so we have no choice but to watch.

Kuya Vander took my hand. Hinawakan nya iyon ng dalawang kamay nya. Ramdam ko ang panghihina sa kanya but he still smiled at me.

“I’m sorry for worrying you pero ayos na ako, Vexen.”

I stared at him. That scar below his left eye down to his jaw made him look scary for some people but he’s still the most handsome Kuya for me. The scar added to his attractiveness though.

“I’m glad to hear that.” I said.

I saw him frown. “What happened?” he asked. “Back at the Red Faction’s hideout? Anong nangyari?”

I sighed when I remember what happened again. “It’s a trap, Kuya Vander.”

“Wala doon ang gamemaster?”

Umiling ako. “Only some of the goons.”

Ipinadala ang mga best fighter ng EL Ordre for this. We even left Kuya Vander and Hoax here in the hideout ’cause we know that their fighting skills isn’t the best yet. They didn’t undergo any training like we did.

We were expecting that we will be using our fighting skills pero wala kaming dinatnan doon. Only some goons na hindi man lang kami pinagpawisan na patumbahin.

I fill Kuya Vander in with what happened at the Red Faction’s hideout. Mataman syang nakikinig sa akin. He was frowning sometimes kapag may naririnig na hindi nya nagugustuhan.

“So the owner of the voice fooled us?” tanong nya nang matapos ako sa pagkukwento.

I shook my head. ’Cause it’s true, right? I think the owner of the voice purposedly told us where the hideout is para mawalan ng depensa ang mga tao dito sa hideout. They’ve been waiting for this day. For us to make a move para magawa ang plano na pagsugod dito sa hideout namin.

We were’nt expecting na sasalisihan nila kami. What more that it was Shielder itself who went here in the hideout. Kaya mas lalong hindi nakagalaw sina L. As he is Tracer’s brother and our teammate.

Iniwan ko na si Kuya Vander para makapagpahinga na sya. I wasn’t sure where Ishtar went but I guess that she went back to her room so she could give Kuya Vander and I some time alone. 

Bumaba na ako at kahit nasa gitna pa lang ako ng pagbaba ay dinig ko na ang kaguluhan sa may living room. Binilisan ko ang pagbaba and indeed, something’s happening to the rest of the members.

Nakatayo na si L. His back was facing me pero base sa mararahas nyang paghinga at pagkuyom ng mga kamao nya ay halatang galit sya. Archer was standing between him and Fourth na parang inaawat sila habang si Eresh ay nasa likuran ng fiance nya. She was looking coldly at L.

What happened?

“This is all your fault!” galit na sabi ni L habang dinuduro si Eresh na nasa likuran ni Fourth. “All of this happened because of you!”

“Tangina, L! Tama na sabi!”

Napatingin si L kay Archer na umaawat sa kanya.

“Bakit? Totoo naman diba? If only she didn’t take Shielder away, drugged him and planted whatever’s bullshits she told him in his mind, hindi mangyayari ’to!

This is the first time I saw him so livid. Ang tahimik, palaging kalmado at tinatamad na si L ay nagagalit ng sobra ngayon. And it’s all because Shielder took Alter with them.

“You are being unreasonable, L.” said Plutus. He was standing with his hands inside the side pockets of his pants.

“No! You are the one who’s being unreasonable! Kayong lahat!” he pointed to all of them. “How can you accept someone like her to be the member of our team when she was the reason why most of us suffered? She’s our enemy!” he looked at Tracer. “Tracer! Paano mo napatawad ang babaeng ’to?”

“Alter was our enemy as well, L.” Aius said. “Baka nakakalimutan mo.”

L laughed in a mocking way. Napatingin ako kay Eresh. She was just looking at him with coldness in her eyes and her arms crossed in front of her chest. Mukha syang walang pakialam sa sinasabi ni L but I know that she’s hurting with his words.

I remember her reaction back at the Red Faction’s hideout. Galit na galit sya sa gamemaster when Shielder and Yucca took Alter away. Sa sobrang galit ay napaiyak pa sya. And I’m sure that deep inside, she’s also blaming herself. So I think that there’s no need for L to tell her about it.

“Stop it, asshole.” sabi ni Archer sa mahinahong paraan. “I know you’re just worried about Alter. We all are. Pero hindi ginusto ni Eresh ang nangyari. Walang may gusto ng nangyari.”

 L looked at him. Kumuyom ang mga kamao at ilang sandaling huminga ng malalim.

I understand where he is coming from. Nag-aalala sya para kay Alter at alam kong sinisisi nya din ang sarili nya dahil wala syang nagawa para iligtas si Alter. He just stood there while watching Yucca and Shielder take his beloved woman in front of his eyes. As they will hurt her if he resisted.

But he’s being unreasonable. Yes, it was Eresh’s plan to make Shielder as King Lancer and she’s at fault but he shouldn’t put all the blame to Eresh. She’s proving herself and trying to make things right. At ang gamemaster ang dapat na pinakasisihin dito.

None of us will suffer if only he didn’t start the game.

“Tracer.” L called him. His voice sounds dangerous. “You did something earlier with your laptop. Anong ginawa mo doon?”

I frowned. Hindi masyadong alam ang tinutukoy nya. Siguro ay iyong kanina na abala silang tatlo sa laptop nila while we’re all getting ready? Iyon ba?

Tracer sighed. “I told you. I was just making sure that everything will be okay.”

“Na hindi nangyari.” L countered. “If you think about it thoroughly, parang alam nina Shielder na aalis kayo at may maiiwan dito sa hideout.”

I gasped. Hindi ko nagugustuhan kung saan papunta ang sinasabi ni L.

“You said that you’ve all watched what happened at the CCTV monitors at the Red Faction’s hideout.” L continued at parang gusto ko na syang patigilin sa pagsasalita. “It means that they’ve hacked our CCTVs and breached our firewall. I will get notified if someone hacked it pero wala akong natanggap na kahit ano.”

Itinuloy ko ang pagbaba sa hagdan. I wanted to stop L from talking ’cause I already have an idea with what he meant with his words. Pero bago pa ako makalapit ay pinigilan ako ni Death. He shook his head firmly. Pinipigilan ako sa gusto kong gawin.

“You’re the one who insisted that the owner of the voice is helping us when the rest of us were being suspicious about it.” L said. “You’re the one who’s receiving all the email from that voice.”

“What are you trying to say?” tanong ni Tracer sa kanya na madilim ang mukha. “That I’m betraying my team?”

I saw L smirked. “Hindi ba? Nakakapagtaka naman. Lahat kami naghihinala sa boses na iyon except you. We’re at the endgame and we should move carefully but you’re being reckless with all your decisions.”

“Fuck, L. Tama na.” Archer stopped him. Napatingin si L sa kanya.

“Why? Ako lang ba nag-iisip ng ganito? Shielder is his brother! At hindi na ako magtataka kung tinatraydor nga tayo ng gagong ’yan para sa kapatid nya!”

Aius moved and I was surprised when he threw a hard punch on L’s face. Natumba si L dahil hindi nya rin iyon inaasahan. Aius grabbed him by the collar of his shirt at marahas na itinayo.

“Stop with all your bullhits, L!” he shouted at him angrily. His black eyes looked so darker now. “I know you’re worried about Alter! Lahat naman tayo and we’re gonna look a way to save her pero putangina! Tigilan mo ’yang mga kagaguhan na naiisip mo!”

Humigpit ang kapit nya sa kwelyo ng damit ni L pero wala pa ring umawat sa kanila.

“Get your shit together!” Aius angrily said. “The last thing we want is for this group to split up! We’re at the endgame now kaya hindi dapat tayo nag-aaway-away!”

L glared at him. Marahas nyang tinanggal ang mga kamay ni Aius na nakakapit sa kwelyo ng damit nya. He looked at everyone with anger in his eyes before he stormed off and went out of the hideout.

Walang pumigil sa kanya. We all knew that he needs time alone to clear his head. Naiintindihan din naman sya ng lahat. Dahil kung sila rin ang nasa katayuan ni L ngayon at kinuha ng kalaban ang pinakamamahal nila, they wouldn’t be able to think rational as well.

That’s why the EL Ordre is here to give support to the members especially if they feel lost.

We cleaned the mess inside the hideout. Pero ang mga lalaki lang ang kumilos as they know that Eresh and I were both pregnant. Kahit hindi pa ganoong kalaki ang mga tyan namin ay grabe na sila kung ingatan kami.

The whole day was gloomy. Hindi bumalik si L kahit na nang maggabi. The rest went inside their rooms to get a rest for this tiring day. Pero si Death ay nagluto pa rin ng dinner para sa amin.

“Call Eresh and Loki.” Death said habang nag-aayos ng hapag. “Nasa may back garden sila.”

I nodded. Ang iba kasi ay nasa loob pa rin ng mga kwarto and I don’t want to disturb them. Kakain naman siguro sila kung magutom.

Nakita ko ang dalawa na nakaupo sa bench habang nakatingala sa langit. The moon and the stars were shining down on them. Ang tunog ng mga kuliglig sa gabi ay nakakagaan sa pakiramdam. Na parang walang nangyaring delubyo kanina.

“Please understand L. He only said that ’cause he’s worried about Alter. I’m certain that he didn’t mean those words.”

Tumango lang si Eresh sa sinabi ni Fourth sa kanya. He looked down and stared at her pero si Eresh ay nanatili pa ring nakatulala sa langit.

I was about to call them ’cause I felt bad eavesdropping to their conversation when I heard Eresh spoke.

“I had a very long dream.” she said. Her voice soft pero dahil sa tahimik na gabi ay narinig ko iyon. “It was a happy yet a scary dream.”

Ang mga likod lang nila ang nakikita ko but I heard the emotions in her voice.

She said that it’s a happy yet a scary dream but why does she sounds so sad?

“In my dream… we got married.” I heard Eresh said. “A royal wedding… Just like my request to you.”

She looked at Fourth. Nakatigilid ang mukha nya sa akin kaya nakita kong nakangiti sya. But it was a sad smile.

“It was entitled as the most rushed wedding in the royal family’s history. Kasi ayokong ikasal tayo ng malaki na ang tyan ko so after the game, nagmadali tayong magpakasal. I don’t want to looked like a fat cow in that important day.”

After the game…

“Everyone was there.” she continued. “Archer left his invitation card at home that’s why you had to fetched him at the entrance of the church so he could get in. Your Mom scolded you because of that.” she chuckled. “And in my dream… we had three kids.”

She looked up to the night sky again. Hearing her tell Fourth about her dream made my heart ache. Naririnig ko sa boses nyang umaasa syang magkakatotoo iyon.

Sumandal ako sa hamba ng back door and looked at the night sky as well. Hoping to see a wishing a star. At sa palagay ko ay iyon din ang hinihintay ni Eresh.

And wish to make her dream come true.

“It felt so real, Loki. That when I woke up, I felt scared. Kasi sabi nila, kabaligtaran daw ang nangyayari sa panaginip.”

Fourth shushed her. He cupped her face and made her looked at her. He looked at her in the eye with all seriousness.

“Tototohanin natin ang panaginip mo, Eresh.” he said. “We’ll get married. Kahit ilang beses mo pang gusto. Everyone will attend all of our weddings and we’re gonna have three kids. Dadagdagan pa natin kung gusto mo.”

Eresh chuckled before she put her arms around him and hugged him tight. Niyakap sya pabalik ni Fourth, telling her promises that everything will be okay.

I saw Eresh’s hands gripping Fourth’s shirt on his back. And with that, I could tell that she’s scared.

“If something will happen, I’m glad that I got to experience a happy life and my future with you. Even if it’s just in a dream.”

Mas lalong humigpit ang yakap ni Fourth sa kanya. Making her stop with her words.

“It will come true, Eresh. Your dream will come true. I promise you that.”

Chapter 32

Tahimik. The tension in the room is so clear. Nobody is saying anything even if we know that we have to make a plan as soon as possible. But other than the tension, there’s also an awkwardness in the air.

Even Archer, the most talkative and joker in the team isn’t saying anything. Nandoon lang sya sa baba ng hagdan, nakaupo sa pinakahuling baitang at nakayukyok ang ulo. He isn’t saying anything but I know that he’s affected as well. Lahat naman kami ay apektado.

L came back the day after. At simula nang bumalik sya ay hindi na nya binitiwan ang laptop nya. He’s not even eating anything kaya ginagawan sya ni Death ng mga pagkain na madaling kainin so he wouldn’t collapsed and will still have strength.

We all know that he’s looking for Alter. Pero kung pagbabasehan ang magkasalubong nyang mga kilay, dark circles around his eyes and grim expression on his face, it’s obvious that he isn’t making any progress.

I want to do something to help him, to find Alter pero hindi ko alam kung paano. I am only good in fighting and I don’t have any tracing skills like our trackers have kaya wala akong magawa kundi ang umupo na lang dito na masama ang loob habang pinapanood si L.

We are all frustrated. Lahat ay gustong tumulong pero wala rin silang magawa. We were also like this when the Red Faction took Shielder. We didn’t know what to do to help Tracer back then.

And it happened again. That moment when we all feel useless. The times when we are willing to do anything to help but there’s nothing we can do. And the feeling is just getting worse while we’re looking at L who looked like he’s ready to kill just to find Alter.

We’re here in the living room. Dapat ay gumagawa na kami ng plano para mabawi si Alter but there’s still tension in the air dahil sa nangyaring pagtatalo isang araw na ang nakakalipas.

Merda! I feel so frustrated right at this moment!

“You should take a rest L.” Aius said.

I was thankful for that. Kahit na nakatanggap ng suntok si L mula sa kanya, I still think that he should be the first one to speak to him.

“There’s no time to rest.” si L na hindi man lang inaalis ang tingin nya sa laptop nya. “The more that Codee is with the enemy, the more danger she’s in.”

“Magpatulong ka kay Tracer, L.” I said. “Don’t take the burden alone.”

L is sitting on the sofa across mine kaya nang tinignan nya ako ay kitang-kita ko ang buong mukha nya. And I didn’t like what I see in his eyes. There was indiffirence. There was doubt and distrust. At nasasaktan akong makitang ganoon ang tingin nya.

“That’s the last thing I’ll do.” L said. He glance at Tracer na nasa kaliwa ko. “I don’t trust him.”

Napabuntong-hininga ako at tumingin kay Tracer. He was looking at L. He looks calm pero parang may namumuong bagyo sa abo nyang mga mata. A dangerous one. Iyong tipong kayang limasin ang anumang nasa daan.

He looked at L coldly. Hindi ko mabasa ang emosyon na nasa mukha nya. If he’s hurt because of what L said or he just didn’t care.

Ever since our game started, Tracer and L are our trackers. Si L ang madalas na makatanggap ng misyon mula sa gobyerno. And he’s also the one who receives orders from the King who turns out to be Auis. Sya ang isa pang nakakaalam tungkol sa pagpapalit ng posisyon noon between Fourth Aius.

Tracer only learned to be our tracker just to find the killer of his parents. Binuhos nya ang buong atensyon nya sa paghahanap noon pero tinutulungan din naman si L sa pagiging tracker ng EL Ordre. 

Mula noon ay magkatulong na sila. But because of what happened, L couldn’t trust Tracer anymore.

“Tracer wouldn’t do what you think, L.” Aius said. “He will not betray the team.”

I saw the smirk on L’s face while typing at his laptop. Parang gusto nyang pagtawanan ang sinabi ni Aius.

“Talaga?” he asked, full of mockery. Saglit syang tumipa bago tumigil at tinitigan si Aius. “Kasi ako? Kaya ko kayong traydurin para kay Codee.”

I almost gasped with what he said. L is a silent man. A man with a few words pero nasabi ko noon na ayoko syang magsasalita dahil madalas ay realtalk sya at nakakasakit ang mga salita nya.

L looked at Tracer intently.

“I’m ready to kill your brother if he does anything to her, Tracer.”

Hindi nagsalita si Tracer. He just stared back at L with coldness in his gray eyes. Kinakabahan na naman ako na baka biglang magkagulo na naman.

Ang laki ng pinagbago matapos ang araw na iyon. After Shielder took Alter. Unti-unting nawawala ang dati naming samahan. When we treat each other as a family. Ngayon ay punong-puno na ng pagdududa sa grupo.

“Ang may-ari ng boses ang sisihin mo, L.” Plutus said at himalang hindi nya hawak ang vape nya. “That fucking voice played on us.”

L scoffed. “Who knows if Tracer also played a big part on it? Sya lang ang nakakatanggap ng email, diba? Maybe they planned everything.”

“Can we fucking stop with this?” si Aius na mukhang nawalan na ng pasensya. “Can we just make a plan on how to save Alter and Shielder?”

“Sige. But I want Tracer to stay the fuck out of this.”

Lahat kami ay napatitig kay L dahil sa sinabi nya. Hindi namin iyon inaasahan mula sa kanya! If we let Tracer out of this, para na rin kaming napilayan!

“L, don’t be an asshole.” Archer said as he grit his teeth.

“Then, choose. Tracer will stay out of this o ako ang aalis.” L said. Seryosong-seryoso ang mukha nya. “I will look for Alter on my own.”

Marahas akong napabuntong-hininga. Merda! I can’t even get mad at him as I understand why he’s being like this! Hindi ko sya masisisi kung ganito sya!

Afterall, we have people in the group who betrayed us. First was Violet who’s a King’s Bishop of the Red Faction but she pretended to be an EL Ordre’s Pawn and waited for the right time to take Shielder away from us. Second was Ishtar who told the enemy’s Knight about Angela.

And with Shielder being the King Lancer of the Red Faction, our enemy, there’s really a chance that Tracer will betray us. Lalo pa at alam kong sobra sya kung magpahalaga sa pamilya.

I heard Tracer sighed. Ang laptop nyang hindi binuksan na nakapatong sa coffee table ay kinuha nya bago tumayo. I looked up to him.

“Ako na ang aalis.” he said. “L’s tracking skills is better than mine anyway.”

Marahas na napasabunot sa sariling buhok si Aius nang makaalis si Tracer. I don’t have an idea where he plans to go pero alam kong handa pa rin syang tumulong. He’s just being considerate for L.

Now that Alter and Tracer are gone, para kaming napilayan. We are already lacking in manpower pero heto at nabawasan pa kami. Ngayon pa talaga kami nagkaganito now that we’re in the endgame!

“Do you really have to do that, L?” ang tahimik na tanong ni Fourth. His voice sounds so low and quiet. Like he’s mad but was just trying to stay calm.

“Why? Hindi ba kayo naghihinala sa kanya?” L asked. “Am I really the only one who thinks that way? Stop being a hypocrite, assholes.”

“Tracer will never betray the group. E’di sana matagal na nyang ginawa kung totoo ang sinasabi mo!” si Archer na hindi na nakapagpigil.

“’Cause his brother wanted to kill him before!” he reasoned out. “Anong malay natin kung nag-iba na ngayon? What if Shielder agreed to be with Tracer in exchange that he’ll betray us?”

“The hell…” Death muttered beside me. “Naisip mo talaga ’yan?”

“Yes.” L said with a straight face. “Tracer was the one who insisted that the voice was helping us when all of us are being suspicious about it. He’s the only one who can communicate with that voice. Can you blame me if I’m having doubts with him?”

Nobody said anything and that only proves that they saw his point. I did too. And I feel so guilty about it. Simula pa noon ay si Tracer ang madalas kong nakaka-partner sa mga missions, and I never had any problems and he’s always helping me pero ngayon ay pinaghihinalaan ko sya.

But I can see L’s point. Dahil ang sinabi nya ay he will get a warning if someone even tries to hack or breach our security and firewall. Pero wala syang natanggap na kahit na ano when we all watched what happened here through the CCTV of our hideout back at the Red Faction’s hideout. It just means that they did hack our CCTV… pero bakit walang alam si L?

What more… Shielder seems to know that most of us will not be at the hideout at that time. Kaya nga doon nya piniling sumugod.

But how…?

“You’ll have a hard time on finding Alter. You need Tracer’s help.”

Nakita kong gumalaw ang panga ni L as he grits his teeth when Eresh spoke to him.

“I can find her.” he said.

“It’s King Lancer’s hacking skills that you’re against with. The three of you couldn’t even defeat him.” Eresh said. “You need help, L.”

Marahas na bumuga ng malalim na hininga si L. When he looked at Eresh, I saw the anger in his eyes.

“Can you shut up? You’re the reason why I’m against with King Lancer anyway.”

Eresh looked taken aback pero mabilis na napalitan iyon ng panlalamig. She looked at L coldly na naisip ko pang baka guni-guni ko lang ang nakita ko kanina.

“You’re the one who needs to shut his mouth, bloody wanker.” Fourth said. At base sa boses at tingin nya ay halatang galit na sya.

“I’m just stating the facts, Fourth. She’s the reason why Shielder became like that.”

“Stop blaming other people for your incompetency when you couldn’t save your woman!”

Marahas na napatayo si L. It’s a good thing that the laptop was on the table while he’s typing as I’m sure na masisira iyon dahil sa biglaan nyang pagtayo. He looked livid as he stares at Fourth who just smirked and looked proud that he pushed L’s button.

“Did I hit a nail?” Fourth even asked mockingly as his smirk widens.

“Putangina—”

Sumugod si L pero bago pa sya makalapit kay Fourth ay mabilis na napatayo si Aius para harangan sya. Archer stood up as well and tried to stop L. Habang si Fourth ay nanatiling kalmadong nakaupo sa upuan nya at katabi si Eresh.

Napatayo na rin ako dahil sa pagkabigla. I saw L throwing murderous glares at Fourth. Galit na galit sya.

Fourth really knows how to manipulate someone’s feelings with just his words.

“Fuck you, Fourth!” L shouted at him. “Stop protecting your woman when she’s the reason why they took Alter! Sya naman talaga ang kailangan diba?!”

“Stop blaming her! Walang may gusto ng nangyari!” Fourth said.

But L continued.

“They’re just using Alter for her! She should fix this mess! She should sacrifice herself para maibalik si Alter na nasa panganib dahil sa kanya!”

Death quickly stood up to stop Fourth dahil mabilis syang napatayo na parang handang sumugod kay L. He looked livid and murderous while looking at L at halos mangilabot ako sa itsura nya. I was already scared with how he can manipulate with his words pero mas nakakatakot sya ngayon.

“No one should sacrifice anymore, bloody bastard!” Fourth said as he grits his teeth. “One more word against my Queen and I’m gonna fucking kill you.”

The two men looked like they wanted to kill each other. Ang galit ay kitang-kita sa mga mata nila. Nanatili lang akong nakatayo doon na hindi alam ang gagawin habang nakatingin lang sa kanila.

Eresh tried to calm Fourth. She stood up and caressed his arms before she intertwined their hands. And it worked. Nakita kong nag-relax ang mga balikat ni Fourth na parang nawala ang tensyon doon. He looked at his Queen and she gave him a reassuring smile.

Nanghihina akong napaupo. I wanted to cry. Hindi pa man pero pakiramdam ko ay matatalo kami sa laro. Our team is slowly breaking apart.

Merda!  Ngayon ay parang sumasang-ayon ako kay Eresh sa sinabi nya noon. That our emotions are indeed our weakness.

I looked at Eresh and there’s something in her eyes that I couldn’t read as she looks at Fourth. There is determination in her eyes mixed with… sadness na hindi ko alam kung para saan.

I remember about her dream. Her dream royal wedding where the whole country celebrated with them. Her dream family with Fourth with their three kids. At ang sinabi nyang kahit sa panaginip lang ay sapat na iyon sa kanya.

If only I will ever see a wishing star, I would pray to make that dream of hers to come true.

Dahil sa panaginip nya ay tapos na ang laro. And we are all alive in her dream.

Chapter 33

It was hard to think of a plan now that the group is slowly breaking apart. It wasn’t the same for us anymore. Ever since the Red Faction took Alter with them, a lot of things have changed.

It feels like we are all strangers living in a same roof.

Nag-uusap na lang kami kung kinakailangan. Asking things we need to know about the enemies. Hindi na rin kami sabay-sabay kumain sa hapag but Death still tried to cook for everyone. ’Cause he knows, na kapag walang pagkain na nakahanda ay hindi na talaga kakain ang lahat.

L became worse. Wala syang kinakausap na kahit na sino even after Tracer left the hideout as per L’s condition. He tried to find Alter alone. He didn’t ask for anyone’s help. O kahit pagbabalita ng progress nya sa paghahanap ay hindi nya ipinaalam sa amin. And I know why.

Dahil sa nangyari, he doesn’t trust anyone of us anymore.

And it hurts. Trust is one of the foundations of the EL Ordre. Kung hindi dahil sa pagtitiwala namin sa isa’t-isa ay baka marami na rin ang nalagas sa amin. We are all alive because we trust and depend on each other. But because of what happened, everything crumbled.

At sa tingin ko ay maibabalik lang sa ayos ang lahat if we can take Alter back.

But what can we do? Si L na lang ang natitirang may hacking skills sa amin. We don’t know any other way on how to find her. Or kung saan man sya itinatago ng Red Faction.

But I have a feeling that it will take a long time before we can find her.

Archer and Plutus tried to came back on the hideout just to checked if the enemies were there pero wala na silang nadatnan doon. Looks like they changed their hideout again.

I glanced at Eresh who’s sitting beside Fourth. She was not saying anything after that confrontration she had with L. O si L lang dahil hindi naman sya sumagot pabalik at si Fourth ang gumawa noon para sa kanya. She didn’t try to suggest anything to L, nor urged him to accept Tracer’s help. Basta nanahimik na lang sya.

The tension just keeps getting thicker in the air. Hindi na namin alam kung paano pakikitunguhan ang bawat isa. L isn’t talking to anyone of us. Eresh as well except to Fourth. At kahit si Fourth ay hindi na rin kinakausap pa si L. And I think that the couple were just here in the living room for formality. They were the brains of the group pero ngayon ay walang maririnig sa kanila.

I sighed and looked up. It was a gloomy afternoon. Kahit ang langit sa labas ay madilim dahil sa nagbabadyang ulan. And even Archer’s jokes wouldn’t be able to lift up the mood inside the hideout.

“Are we really just going to watch him find Alter?” tanong ni Plutus na hindi na nakatiis. Kanina pa sya palakad-lakad sa buong living room. He seems restless that he’s not doing anything except puffing on his vape.

Archer, who was just quietly sitting on the last two steps of the stairs looked up to him.

“May naiisip ka bang paraan para mahanap sya?” he asked.

Plutus cursed. He puffed on his vape again at inis na ibinuga ang vapor mula sa bibig nya. Sumabog ang usok noon pati na rin ang vanilla scent sa buong living room.

“We should at least do something. Hindi ’yung nakatunganga lang tayo dito.”

“Ano nga? Kung may naiisip ka, lapag mo!”

Hindi lang si Plutus ang nagulat sa rahas ng boses ni Archer sa sinabi nyang iyon. I looked at him, bewildered. Archer’s jaw clenched and I could even see his hands were balled into fist. He looked mad and frustrated at the same time.

“Why are you taking it out on me?” Plutus asked and with the tone of his voice, I could tell that he’s on the verge of getting mad as well. “I was just fucking suggesting that we should move instead of just watching L do all the work!”

Archer stood up. Mabilis na tumayo si Hoax at pumagitna sa dalawa.

“Tingin mo ba gusto lang namin manood dito?” Archer asked. He was glaring at Plutus. “Fuck, Plutus, we are all frustrated here! Lahat gustong tumulong pero wala namang magawa!”

“Putangina, eh, bakit ka nga sakin nagagalit?! I am frustrated just like you kaya nga gusto kong may magawa!”

“Mga tangina nyo, mag-aaway-away talaga kayo?” asked Kuya Vander, who I know, if only he didn’t have an injured foot, kanina nya pa nasuntok ang dalawa.

L closed his laptop so hard that I thought it might break. Napatingin kaming lahat sa kanya. He closed his eyes, his jaw was clenching ang hands were balled into fist. Parang nagtitimpi sya pero nang dumilat ay kitang-kita ang galit sa itim nyang mga mata.

“Fuck it, Shielder!” he bellowed.

“You wouldn’t be able to defeat him alone, L.” said Aius who looked deprived of sleep. But then again, mukhang kaming lahat ay kulang sa tulog. “Kung gusto mong mahanap kaagad si Alter, let Tracer help you.”

L glared at Aius. Halatang-halata na ayaw nya talaga ang ideyang tulungan sya ni Tracer. He really thinks that Tracer betrayed the EL Ordre. Dahil sya lang ang may koneksyon doon sa may-ari ng boses. And Shielder, now the King Lancer of the Red Faction, is his brother.

“You know what’s the fastest way to find Alter? Let Eresh go in exchange of her.” Mabilis na napatingin si Fourth kay L dahil sa sinabi nya. “I’m sure that they will give their location if she’s just willing to sacrifice herself.”

 “You’re the worst.” Fourth said while gritting his teeth. Nakita ko ang panginginig ng mga kamao nyang nakakuyom and Eresh is trying to calm him down.

L scoffed. “Ako pa talaga? Am I really the one who’s the worst inside this room?”

“Putangina, L, tumahimik ka na.” Plutus stopped him and L just smirked even more.

“The Red Faction killed the EL Ordre’s former Rooks. It was them who killed Angela. It was them who took Shielder and drugged him and planted bullshits inside his head. And it all happened under Eresh’s reign!”

He pointed at Eresh. Napatayo si Fourth at handang sumugod na kay L but Eresh managed to stopped him. Pero hindi pa rin tumigil sa pagsasalita si L.

It was like he was telling everything he thought now. Na ito ang kapalit ng pagiging tahimik at kalmado nya. That he’s pouring everything out now.

“Her past doesn’t give any justification to everything that she did! To all of her sins!” galit na sabi ni L habang dinuduro si Eresh. “That reason isn’t enough to forgive her! So she should do everything to make up for it! Even to sacrifice herself!”

“L!” si Aius na napatayo na rin. “Eresh is pregnant! Dalawang buhay ang manganganib sa gusto mong mangyari!”

L looked coldly at Aius. “Is she really pregnant? Who knows that it was just a show para matakasan nya ang dapat nyang gawin?”

I gasped when Fourth’s fist finally landed on L’s face. Hindi na sya nagawang pigilan pa ni Eresh. L looked like he was expecting it but he wasn’t able to dodge it. Pero bumawi sya ng suntok at pinatamaan ang mukha ni Fourth.

Death stood up. Sinubukan pigilin ng lahat ang dalawa. Fourth was livid, pati na rin si L. Sinusubukan nilang makawala sa hawak ng iba sa kanila.

“You are a fucking despicable, bloody bastard!” galit na galit na sabi ni Fourth habang sinusubukang makawala sa kapit ni Aius at Death sa kanya. “Hindi ko alam na ganyan ka mag-isip!”

“Stop treating her like a fucking damsel-in-distress, Fourth!” L spat at him. “Nagawa nya ang lahat ng mga kasalanan na ’yon so she has enough strength to make amends for it!”

“Fucking bastard!” Aius and Death was having a hard time to restrain Fourth. Nakawala sya at mabilis na kinuwelyuhan si L. “Fuck you, bastard! You don’t even have the right to tell her what to do when in the first place, hindi sya nakagawa ng kasalanan sayo!”

“They took Codee because of her!”

“Na hindi nya ginusto!” kulang na lang ay suntukin nya ulit si L sa sobrang galit nya. “She cherish Alter so much like her real sister kaya hindi nya ginusto ang nangyari! Walang may gusto ng nangyari!”

“Fourth, tama na ’yan.” pigil ni Aius sa kanya pero tinabig lang ni Fourth ang kamay nya.

“Tracer already forgave her. Aius and Alter as well! Kaya putangina! Wala ka nang karapatang isumbat sa kanya ang nakaraan!”

I looked at Eresh. She was just looking at the two. Pero kitang-kita ko ang pagpipigil nyang umiyak. Her lips were quivering and her eyes were red because of unshed tears. Nakita ko rin na sunod-sunod syang lumunok at parang nahihirapan pa.

“Wake up, bloody bastard!” Fourth said. “You’re being clouded with your emotions! It won’t help Alter if you’re being like this! Gamitin mo ang utak mo!”

Hindi ko na napigilan ang umiyak nang muli akong tumingin sa mga lalaki. I was sitting here, watching them fight each other na parang wala silang pinagsamahan noon. Na parang lahat ng pinagdaanan namin ay nawalan ng kwenta.

It feels like we’re not a team anymore.

This is what the gamemaster wanted. For us to break apart.

The night came and the hideout was so quiet na parang walang sinuman ang nakatira. They were all inside their rooms while Death was preparing dinner and I was helping him. Alam kong imposibleng magsabay-sabay kaming kumain ngayon but my husband still cooked for us as we still need to eat.

With what’s happening, I got to realized that trust is really important in every relationship. In friendship, in family, in a couple… It wouldn’t work out if there’s no trust with one another. At iyon ang nasira sa amin ngayon.

Even after all those things that happened in the past, when we were helping each other with the mission. When we were fighting with the Red Faction. Lahat ng pinagsamahan namin. Hindi naging sapat ang lahat ng iyon para maibalik ang tiwala na nasira.

I hope that everything will still be alright.

I was about to close the curtain and check the windows if it’s locked when I saw two people outside. Sa dilim ay mahahalata agad ang kulay blonde at maikling buhok ni Eresh. She was talking to someone. At first, I thought that it was Fourth pero nang matitigan kong mabuti, I realized I was wrong.

She was talking to Tracer.

I frowned. Hindi na dito tumutuloy si Tracer nang umalis sya dahil iyon ang gusto ni L. L was thinking that Tracer might eavesdrop, so when Tracer left the hideout, he changed the security and checked the entire hideout for some  bugs. Ganoon nya pinaghihinalaan si Tracer.

So what is he doing here now? At bakit magkausap sila ni Eresh?

Malayo sila sa pwesto ko kaya hindi ko marinig ang pinag-uusapan nila. I tried to read their lips as they speak pero dahil madilim at medyo may kalayuan ay hindi ko makuha ng husto. But Eresh looked a bit angry habang si Tracer ay mukhang kalmado lang.

What’s happening?

“Have you seen Eresh?”

Halos mapatalon ako sa gulat nang may magsalita sa likod ko. Merda! I quickly looked around and saw Fourth who looked confused with my reaction. Tumingin sya sa tinitignan ko kanina and I don’t know what’s gotten into me dahil mabilis kong tinakpan ng kurtina ang bintana.

“Huh?” ang tanging nasabi ko.

Merda! Mukhang ako naman ngayon ang magmumukhang suspicious!

“Eresh. Have you seen her?” Fourth asked. Mukhang hindi naman binigyan pansin ang pagkakataranta ko.

I saw the cut on his lip, probably from when L punched him earlier but he doesn’t seem to mind it. Mukhang mas pinoproblema pa nya na hindi nya kasama si Eresh ngayon.

Should I tell him? Pero baka mas lumala pa ang pagdududa ng grupo kay Tracer. At baka madamay si Eresh.

I was about to answer when Fourth’s gaze turned at somewhere on my back. Napalingon na din ako doon at nakahinga nang maluwag nang makita si Eresh na pumasok.

“Where have you been?” salubong agad ni Fourth sa reyna nya. He put an arm around his waist and pulled her closer to him.

Eresh smiled at Fourth.

“Nagpahangin lang.”

I waited for her to say something more pero hindi na nya dinugtungan. Mukhang nakaramdam si Fourth na may kakaiba sa kanya as his stares lingers on her.

“Is there any problem?” he asked.

Napatingin tuloy ako sa mukha ni Eresh. I don’t see anything’s wrong with her reaction pero mukhang si Fourth ay may nakikitang kakaiba doon. Eresh chuckled and put a hand on his cheeks.

“None, my King.” she said.

Pero nanatili ang titig ni Fourth sa kanya. Halatang hindi naniniwala. And it amazed me that Fourth seems to know her really well. Na kahit anong tago ni Eresh sa emosyon nya ay makikita pa rin ni Fourth ang totoong sya.

“You know that I’m just here, right?” he said. “You’re not alone anymore, Eresh.”

He said those words so softly. Like telling her that those words are the truest of everything that he had said. And Eresh felt that. She smiled at him but her eyes were telling something else.

“Thank you… Loki.”

Ang mga nakita ko ay dala ko hanggang pagtulog. I was still wondering why Eresh and Tracer would talk alone. And I don’t think that it’s good for the group. Nawawala na ang tiwala sa grupo and a secret conversation wouldn’t do any help.

Is it about Shielder? Pero bakit kailangan pa nilang mag-usap ng pasikreto?

Hindi ako nakatulog ng maayos dahil sa iniisip ko. I even woke up early and frowned when I heard commotion outside. Si Death ay nagising din dahil sa ingay na iyon.

“What’s that?” he asked as he scratched the sleepiness off his eyes.

Sabay kaming lumabas and I saw Fourth holding L by the collar of his shirt in front of his room. Pinipigilan nina Plutus at Archer ang dalawa. Lumapit kami doon.

“Ilabas mo sya!” Fourth angrily said. Tinignan sya ni L na may inis sa mga mata.

“I told you already! Hindi ko alam kung nasaan sya!”

“Tangina, umagang-umaga!” Plutus cursed. “Tumigil na kayo!”

Marahas na binitiwan ni Fourth si L. Inalis nya ang pagkakahawak nina Archer at Plutus sa kanya. His eyes were bloodshot, mixed with anger, worry and frustration.

“Anong nangyayari?” I tried to ask.

Aius, who was standing beside me, answered my question.

“Eresh is missing.” he said with grim expression on his face. “And we have a hunch that she went back to the Red Faction.”

Chapter 34

Habang lumilipas ang mga araw ay mas lalo akong nawawalan ng pag-asa na maayos pa ang samahan namin. It’s getting worse with each passing day. I couldn’t even call us as a team anymore. Wala na ang tiwala ng bawat isa sa amin.

With Eresh also gone as well, mas lumala lang ang lahat. Sarili man nyang desisyon ang umalis sa hideout ay alam kong sinisisi ng lahat si L. If only he didn’t say those words, then Eresh wouldn’t think of sacrificing herself.

I get where L is coming from. He’s angry and frustrated that Shielder and Yucca took Alter at wala man lang syang nagawa kundi ang hayaan na mangyari iyon as he knew that it will get chaotic if he refused. Mas mapapahamak si Alter kapag tumanggi sya. He knew that it’s best to let them go as they wouldn’t hurt Alter dahil gagamitin pa nila laban kay Eresh.

He’s angry at himself kaya nga halos hindi na sya kumain at matulog sa paghahanap. And he wanted someone to blame other than his self sa sobrang frustration nya. And that’s Eresh. He said those words that hurt her out of anger.

I get it. I get why he’s blaming her but merda! Those words were a low blow! Na kahit ako ay nasaktan sa mga narinig mula sa kanya. Eresh was doing her best to make up for her mistake but L made her think like it wasn’t enough. Na makakabawi lang sya sa ginawa nya if only she would sacrifice herself.

That death is the only way to make up for her past mistakes.

But it’s not. Eresh has been trying so hard to live, so she could have a place in this world kaya nya nagawa ang mga bagay na iyon. And now that she wanted to make up for it but L made it seems like she should pay with her life. Pinalabas nyang tama ang lahat ng sinabi ng ama nya kay Eresh. That she doesn’t deserve to live. And even if she wanted to pay for her sins, kamatayan pa rin ang dapat na kapalit.

I pity Eresh so much. She has been living in hell for all her life. But Fourth came and saved her. Pero sobrang saglit lang ng masasayang sandali nila dahil mukhang binabawi na iyon ngayon.

Kailan pa naging mali ang kagustuhan na mabuhay? Yes, it’s true that she did mistakes and sins but doesn’t she deserve a second chance? She’s even willing to change.

She’s been through so much. She deserves to be happy with Fourth.

I looked at Fourth. The proud royalty. The Bishop who I thought was the King before because of his aura and authoritativeness, but he looked so lost now. Parang nag-ibang tao sya na pinagsakluban ng langit at lupa.

He’s obviously worried as fuck for Eresh. Hindi lang kay Eresh kundi pati na rin sa magiging anak nila. I’m amazed that he’s still sane right now. Dahil maiintindihan ko ang kahit na sino kung mabaliw sila sa pag-aalala kapag nasa ganoong kondisyon ang mga mahal nila.

Eresh is smart. I believe that she wouldn’t make a reckless move without any plan. Lalo pa ngayon na buntis sya.

I just hope that she’s not doing this because of L’s words.

“My lord.”

Death handed Fourth a fresh vegetable shake na sya mismo ang may gawa. The same shake that he’s giving L. Alam nya na walang gana para kumain si Fourth ngayon so he made a drink that could subtitute for food.

Fourth said his thanks to him and took the glass of vegetable shake from Death’s hand. Pero hindi nya kaagad ininom iyon at tinitigan lang. Death sighed at piniling hayaan na lang si Fourth bago tumabi sa akin.

I tapped his cheek as soon as he sat down beside me.

“You did great.” I said.

I know that he’s having a hard time with what’s happening with the team as well. Pero ginagawa nya pa rin ang lahat para suportahan ang bawat isa. That made me envious of him. At least, he can do something to help the team.

Walang nagsasalita and the only thing we can hear is the sound of L’s hands as he types on his laptop. We were all in the living room again, trying to make some plan pero hanggang ngayon ay wala pa rin namang nabubuo.

It was like our daily routine, pero parang ang iba ay nandidito na lang dahil iyon ang nakasanayan.

I looked at the front door when I noticed some movements there. Nagulat ako nang makitang mula doon ay pumasok si Tracer. The others noticed my reaction kaya napatingin din sila sa may pinto.

L looked up from the screen of his laptop. Agad tumalim ang tingin nya nang makita si Tracer.

“What are you doing here?” L asked, jaw was clenching because of anger. “Are you gonna spy on us again?”

“Pinapunta ko sya dito.” Fourth said. He put the vegetable shake on the coffee table in front of him. Tumayo sya para salubungin si Tracer. “I asked for his help to find Eresh.”

“But he’s a traitor, Fourth!” giit ni L.

Fourth looked at him. His sea-green eyes were cold but it’s full of danger and seriousness.

“Between the two of you, for me, you’re the one who’s betraying the team.”

I looked down. I kinda get why Fourth said that. Alter’s gone and the best thing we could do is to help each other to find her. Pero mas nanaig ang galit at pagdududa kay L na nagbunga nang pagkakagulo ng team.

“Because of your words, I’m certain that Eresh have gone to the Red Faction’s hideout to save Alter.” Fourth continued. “What we should do is to locate their hideout, not sacrificing someone just to save your woman. But because of your selfishness, hindi lang si Alter ang nanganganib ngayon. Eresh and my unborn child as well.”

Fourth said those words in a calm manner. But the danger is still evident in his voice. Mas nakakatakot ang paraan ng pagsasalita nya ngayon kaysa noong galit sya. It was like he’s the calm before the storm.

Walang nagsalita. We knew that L might get mad or hurt with his words. But we also knew that he deserves it. He must hear it.

“This is what you want, right?” Fourth asked. His gaze turned so cold that my body started to shake even in my seat. “For Eresh to sacrifice to save Alter.” he smirked menacingly. “You are so bloody motherfucking selfish.”

L clenched his jaw. Nagpipigil ng galit habang nakatingin ng masama si Fourth. But Fourth, being a manipulative bastard that uses one’s emotion, smirked even more.

“Why won’t you do it instead? Bakit si Eresh ang kailangan sumagip sa kanya at hindi ikaw? Alter’s your woman, right? What? ’Cause you don’t have an idea how to do it?”

“Fourth…” Aius warned pero hindi nagpapigil si Fourth.

“I see. You can’t even find their location.” Fourth chuckled in a mocking way. “You’re so fucking useless.”

Mabilis na tumayo si Archer at hinawakan sa mga balikat si L para hindi sya makatayo. He restrained him in his seat so L wouldn’t attack Fourth.

“Fuck you, Fourth! Wala ka rin namang silbi sa ngayon!” L looked livid but Fourth chuckled even more. Halatang mas ginagalit pa si L.

“I admit that but my woman has more importance than you this time.” he said. “Iyong sinasabihan mo na kalaban natin. Iyong sinisisi mo sa mga nangyayari ngayon. The one who you wanted to sacrifice for Alter! Mas may silbi pa sya sayo ngayon!”

“Here we fucking go again.” Plutus mumbled na parang nagsasawa na sa mga away na nagaganap sa team.

“Aren’t you ashamed of yourself?” pagpapatuloy pa ni Fourth. “That Eresh can do something to save your woman. Pero ikaw? Wala! You keep on typing nonstop with your laptop but you still got nothing, bloody bastard! Ano? Hihintayin mo lang si Eresh na gumawa ng paraan?”

“I am doing my best to find Codee!” L reasoned out.

“Is that so?” galit na tanong ni Fourth na halos matawa pa. “I think you’re doing your best to blame everything to Eresh and made her save Alter! You did great, though. She’s on her way to save your woman for the reason the you are fucking useless!”

“Fuck you! Tangina mo, Fourth! Wala ka sa katayuan ko kaya hindi mo alam ang nararamdaman ko!”

“You, bloody motherfucking bastard!” Fourth belowed. “Baka nakakalimutan mong nanganganib ngayon si Eresh at ang anak ko dahil sa katarantaduhan mo!” his balled his fist like he’s restraining himself to hit L in the face. “So among everyone here! I am the one who knows what you feel! Tracer as well ’cause Shielder is still with the enemy!”

Archer’s trying so hard to restrain L dahil halos magwala na sya sa upuan. Plutus puffed on his vape for the last time bago nya tinulungan si Archer. They both pinned L down on his seat para hindi makasugod kay Fourth.

While Fourth still trying to stop himself to attack L. Kahit na kitang-kita sa mukha nya ang galit na parang gustong bugbugin na ang kasagutan. But for the sake of making L understand everything, he’s stopping himself.

“Stop with your assumptions!” halos sumigaw na si Fourth. “It’s not good for the team! It’s not good for Eresh and Alter! We need Tracer’s help to find them!”

“What if I am right?” hamon ni L kay Fourth. “What if he’s really betraying the team?”

Aius sighed. He looked tired with all the shits that’s happening. He walked towards L at inalis nya ang pagkakahawak nina Archer at Plutus sa mga balikat ni L. He stood straight in front of him like a real King looking down at his servant.

“If Tracer’s a real traitor, then it’s better.” his voice was firm. “It’s better ’cause he knows where their hideout is. Mas mabuti kaysa sa wala tayong alam kung saan sila hahanapin at nakatunganga lang dito.”

L looked up to him. He continued talking.

“It’s better ’cause we have a chance on finding Alter and Eresh. We have a chance on saving them. Kaysa sa hintayin ka na lang namin na mahanap sya na siguradong matatagalan. Not that I’m belittling your skills. But we all know that Alter’s the only one who has a chance to fight with Shielder’s hacking skills. One of the reasons why they took her.”

I looked at Tracer. He doesn’t seem offended that Aius is regarding him as a traitor. It looks like he understands why everyone is suspecting him.

Kahit si Fourth. I know that he has doubts with Tracer pero nanghingi pa rin sya ng tulong para mahanap si Eresh. Dahil mas malaki nga naman ang chance na mahanap namin sila kung tutulong si Tracer.

And Aius is right. If Tracer is a real traitor, then he will take us to the Red Faction’s hideout.

I remember that night when I saw Eresh talking to him. Kinabukan ay agad na nawala si Eresh na sigurado namang nagpunta sa hideout ng Red Fcation to save Alter.

Is it possible that Tracer told her the location of the enemy’s hideout?

“If we got caught in their trap, then we’ll just do everything to get out alive.” Aius said. “We’ll do it together, L. We’re gonna help each other to stay fucking alive.”

“L…” I called him. Mula kay Aius ay napatingin sya sa akin. “I know that you just said those words out of anger. Pero gusto kong ipaintindi sayo na walang may gusto ng nangyari. Even Eresh. She didn’t want all of that to happen. That’s why she’s even willing to sacrifice herself.”

I smiled at him.

“Give her a chance to prove herself that there’s something good in her. A chance to make up for everything but not in a way that she should sacrifice her life. Hate the sin but not the sinner… right?”

Pumungay ang mga mata nya dahil sa huling sinabi ko. I know that he said those words to Alter. Sinabi iyon sa akin ni Alter nang minsang makapag-usap kami tungkol kay Eresh. She made me understand that I should hate the sin and not the person who did that. ’Cause everyone has their own story to tell and I shouldn’t judge them and with their sins.

There are three sides to a story. Yours, theirs, and the truth.

“I’m sorry.”

Napangiti ako nang marinig ang mga katagang iyon mula kay L. It was so soft like he’s ashamed of himself. For the way he acted. Like he’s been an asshole and he only realized it now.

Pero alam kong narinig iyon ng lahat as I felt that the tension has been lifted. With only two words from him, it was enough to make everyone feel okay.

Aius sighed. Bumalik sya sa pagkakaupo at tumingin sa lahat.

“We’re a team, EL Ordre. Emotions might be our weakness but it is also our strength. As we will do everything to save those people who are important to us. Just like Eresh, Shielder, and Alter.”

He smirked.

“Now let’s make a move and checkmate that motherfucking gamemaster.”

Chapter 35

Unti-unting bumabangon ang team. May kaunting tensyon at ilangan pa din but at least, wala nang nag-aaway and we are making a progress now. 

L was back on being quiet again. Kung hindi ko lang sya kilala bilang isang tahimik na tao at hindi palasalita ay iisipin kong naiilang sya. But looking at him as he watched Aius writing on the transparent glass booard, I could say that he’s being himself. Kung minsan pa ay nakikita kong nakikipag-usap na sya kina Fourth at Tracer.

Maging ang mga corny jokes ni Archer ay bumalik na rin.

I smiled. I’m glad that we’re back at being a team again. We are slowly gaining each other’s trust again. We need it. Malapit nang matapos ang laro at ang isa’t-isa na lang ang mayroon kami.

Afterall, we’re not just a team. We are a family.

As soon as we settled everything about the issue, we started making a plan. But we all agreed that we should talk and clear everything about the game para alam namin kung anong pinapasok namin. Hindi kami pwedeng gumawa ng planong pagsugod lang. We should at least try to know all about the game and why it hapened.

If anything, we might find something that we could use against the gamemaster.

“How about the owner of the voice?”

I looked at Hoax when he asked that question. He was looking at Aius and his eyes were serious. Naninibago tuloy ako. Naaalala ko kasi ’yung panahong muntik na kaming ikasal. We were engaged for awhile but I enjoyed his company. Lalo na noong nagpupustahan pa kami sa mga babae nya.

Hoax couldn’t give much help when it comes with his fighting skills. He didn’t undergo any intense training, pang self-defense lang. Maybe his father wanted him to have a normal life. I dont know…

But Hoax is trying his best to help the team. Sa ibang paraan sya tumutulong. Katulad ng pagbabantay nya kay Ishtar at ngayon na tinutulungan kami sa pagpaplano.

“Is it a part of the Red Faction or is it helping us?” dagdag tanong nya.

“We got caught in the enemies trap.” Plutus said. He was standing on the back while he’s leaning on the wall. Nakahalukipkip sya. “There’s a big chance that it was all the plan of the Red Faction.”

“That was just a mere assumption, Attorney Villaraza.” Si Archer na naging paborito na yatang umupo sa baitang sa hagdan. “Hindi ’yan tatanggapin sa korte. We’re lawyers. We look for evidences.”

Plutus looked at him. The annoyed expression on his face is so evident. “Wala tayo sa korte.”

Archer laughed before he shrugged his shoulders. “Wala lang. Para may masabi lang.”

’Ayan na naman sya.

“But Plutus has a point.” Death said. Bumaling ako sa kanya na nasa tabi ko lang. “Alam ng Red Faction ang magiging kilos natin. They moved and took Alter. It’s like they knew that we won’t be in the hideout by that time.”

“And they were aware that we’ll be in their hideout.” Fourth concluded. He was sitting in a one seater sofa. Looking at him now, parang hindi ako sanay makita na wala si Eresh sa tabi nya. “It was all planned.”

“Pero ’diba sinabi ni Eresh na sigurado syang hindi ang gamemaster ang may-ari ng boses?” it was Archer. “And remember what the voice said? ‘Pinahanga nyo ako so I still wanna help you.’ Do you really think that the enemy would praise us and say things like that?”

Napaisip ako doon. Archer has a point as well. Nasabi ni Eresh na sigurado syang hindi ang gamemaster ang may-ari ng boses dahil sa huling mga sinabi noon. And that’s also the reason why we got convinced that it’s really helping us.

“Maybe it’s was of the enemy’s tactic to confused us?” Hoax said. Iniintindi ang lahat kahit hindi masyadong makaintindi ng Tagalog.

I shook my head. “No.” they all looked at me at medyo nataranta ako.

I remember the last mission I did as a part of the EL Ordre. Iyong ako mismo ang gumawa ng plano. Minsan na nga lang ako magplano para sa team pero pumalpak pa!

Merda! Ngayon tuloy ako nainggit sa pagiging matalino ni Eresh!

I cleared my throat. “I’ve been fighting against the Red Faction for almost my whole life. I know their moves, their plans. And it’s close to impossible for them to say something like that.”

“Maybe because we were against Eresh that time? The Red Faction plan-maker.” Tahimik na sabi ni Tracer.

We’ve gone silent. Ito yung mahirap sa amin kapag gumagawa ng plano. May ilalabas kaming isang ideya pero mababalewala iyon ng isa pang bagong ideya. And it’s hard. Parang nagpapaikot-ikot lang kami at wala nang mapupuntahan.

I heard Aius sighed. He was wearing a simple v-neck black shirt and a black ripped pants. Nagpapakita ang tattoo nyang Queen chess piece na pangalan ni Angela in a cursive sa kanang braso nya. Nakatayo sya sa harap at nagsusulat sa glassboard para i-konekta ang mga ideas namin. But it looked to me that he’s having a hard time as well.

“Let’s leave it as that. Hindi natin makikilala kung sino ang nagmamay-ari ng boses na iyon sa impormasyong meron tayo.” he said. “But let’s still regarded those ideas. Na baka kakampi natin o kaaway ang may-ari ng boses.”

We all agreed on that. Isa pa, Eresh said that she’s sure that it wasn’t the gamemaster. Among all of us, sya ang may pinakamaraming beses nang na-encounter ang bored na matandang ’yon.

“The Red Faction took Alter as they knew that she’s the only one who can put up a fight against Shielder’s hacking skills.” Pinagkonekta ni Aius and pangalan ni Alter at Shielder sa isang linya gamit ang pulang marker. “As well as the fact that they can use her to lure Eresh.”

This time, pinagkonekta nya ang pangalan nila Eresh at Alter gamit ang blue marker.

“They planned to take them so they can use them against us.” sabi ni Fourth na mariing nakatingin sa glassboard.

Aius nodded on what he said. “’Cause Alter and Shielder knew that we treat each other as a family. They are attacking us using our emotions. Gaya ng ginawa sa atin ni Eresh noon.”

“I don’t think that they ever plan to hurt them.” Plutus said as he fix his vape.

“What makes you say that?” Hoax asked pero si Fourth ang sumagot.

“Eresh won’t let them.” he said. “I’m sure she knows that we’re making a plan to save them so she will do her best to protect herself and Alter. She won’t let them touch even a single strand of their hair.”

I admire how Fourth talks like he really knows everything about Eresh. Like he really understands her. Kaya kahit na alam kong sobra syang kinakabahan at nag-aalala para sa fiancee nya, he’s still trying to keep his cool and calm down dahil alam nyang hindi hahayaan ni Eresh na may mangyaring masama sa kanila ni Alter while waiting for us to save them.

Especially that she’s pregnant.

I admire how their mind works. Na parang kahit magkalayo sila ay magkakonekta naman ang puso at isip nila.

They really are for each other.

“Plus the fact na mawawalan ng purpose ang paggamit sa kanila laban sa atin if something bad happens to them.” Kuya Vander added.

“Did any of you think that it’s all part of the gamemaster’s plan? For Alter and Eresh to join the EL Ordre?” tanong ni Fourth maya-maya.

We all looked at him. Karamihan ay hindi nakuha ang sinabi nya, but Aius seems to get it so well. I even heard him heaved a deep sigh. He closed his eyes tight as he pinched the bridge of his nose while looking up. Parang nananakit ang ulo ss sobrang dami ng nangyayari.

“Damn…” he even cursed.

“Come to think of it…” L muttered. “He never made any move to bring them back to the Red Faction. Ngayon lang.”

“Precisely.” Fourth said.

“So parte ng plano ng gamemaster ang mapunta sina Eresh at Alter sa atin?” Archer asked. Mukhang naguguluhan. “Pati ang mainlove sina L at Fourth sa kanila?”

“Maybe it wasn’t.” it was Aius. “Pero nang makitang nangyayari na nga iyon, he just let them be. Maybe because he realized that it’s better that way.”

“’Cause he can use them against us someday.” Plutus puffed on his vape. Coffee scent immediately fille the room. “Kaya hinayaan nya lang na mangyari ang lahat.”

“Ah… shit.” si Archer na mukhang nakukuha na ang lahat.

“But why?” Hoax asked who’s the only one who still looked confused with what’s happening.

“To ruin EL Ordre.” it was Aius who answered him. “The gamemaster wanted to ruin EL Ordre.”

“Eresh was right when she said that the gamemaster favors the Red Faction.” Death said.

“Pero bakit ba parang galit na galit sa atin ang gamemaster?” inis na sabi ni Archer. “’Yung Red Faction ang maraming nilabag na rules! Also with the fact that they started the game without a King!”

“Putangina kasi ng matandang ’yon.” Plutus cursed as he puffed on his vape again.

Aius sighed again. Tinitigan nya ang glassboard pati na rin ang mga linyang nakakabit sa bawat pangalan na parang pinagkokonekta ang lahat. I saw him frowned like he’s having a hard time connecting all the dots. And I think that if we’re the only one who will try to figure this out, mahihirapan talaga kami.

We need help.

“This is the second Bloody Human Chess Game, right?” Aius asked nang muli syang humarap sa amin. “The first game was with our parents as the chess pieces.”

“Yeah. Pero hindi pa madugo sa kanila noon. It was just a friendly game with them at first.” Kuya Vander said.

“And Tracer’s parents were both Rooks.” Archer said. “Kung napapasa ang posisyon, magkapatid o magkadugo sila kung may nauna pang human chess game bago ang sa kanila.”

The sides of Aius’ lips rose slightly. “That would be incest.”

Archer laughed. “Kaya nga sigurado akong ang mga magulang natin ang unang naglaro ng Bloody Human Chess game.”

Aius laughed with him. Mukhang nagkasundo ang dalawa na hindi nagustuhan ni Tracer. He frowned as he looked at his two friends.

“Fuckers. Anong problema nyo sa mga magulang ko?”

Aius and Archer laughed again. Naiinis na binato ng throw pillow ni Tracer si Archer na syang nagpasimula ng lahat.

“Fuckers! Hindi magkapatid ang mga magulang ko!”

“Alam namin!” natatawang sabi ni Archer na tinamaan sa mukha ng throw pillow. He pointed at my Kuya Vander. “Unlike him.”

“Mga putangina nyo talaga. Bakit nadamay ako?”

“Diba si Carmilla?” si Archer na ayaw pang tumigil. Kuya Vander glared at him.

“Tangina mo.”

The fucker friends laughed. Nakisali na din si Tracer sa tawanan nina Aius at Archer na kanina lang ay sya pa ang iniinis.

I shook my head in disbelief. But somehow… I am thankful for them for being like this. Mas nababawasan ang tensyon at ilangan sa grupo. I even saw L made a small smile sa pagbibiruan nila.

“We need the help of the former chess pieces.” pagbabago ni Fourth sa usapan. Natigil sa tawanan ang tatlo.

Tumango si Aius. “That’s what I’m thinking. Kailangan natin malaman kung paano at bakit nahati ang grupo. Maybe we can find something that we could use against the gamemaster with that.”

Yes… That’s what I’m talking about. Kailangan namin ng tulong ng mga magulang namin.

But we can’t talk with Fourth’s father anymore. I know that the Duke is willing to help us. Pero masyadong halata ang presensya nya, given that he’s a royalty kaya baka mapahamak na naman sya.

This is my chance… to talk with my father again. Hindi naging maganda ang huling pag-uusap namin. I still have a lot to say to him.

Slowly… I raised my hand. Napatingin silang lahat sa akin. Aius smirked at me like he already knew what I’m going to say.

With a determined voice, I spoke.

“I’ll talk with my father.”

Chapter 36

L lend me his laptop again so I could talk with my father properly. I was inside the room that Death and I were using in the hideout. The EL Ordre gave me privacy kahit na ang mga itatanong ko kay Pàpa ay importanteng mga importasyon para sa laro at sa EL Ordre. Pero alam nilang hindi naging maganda ang pag-uusap namin ni Pàpa so they gave us time to talk.

I was just staring at the laptop first. Hindi ko magawang pindutin ang call button para matawagan na si Pàpa. I’m sure that he’s awake, maybe busy taking care of our business and Raven Liv but I know that he’ll make time for us to talk if he I call him.

Pero kapag naaalala ko ang mga sinabi ko sa kanya noong huli kaming mag-usap ay nawawalan ako ng lakas ng loob. I was being inconsiderate and insensitive that time. Only thinking about my own feelings. I blurted out words that hurt my father.  

That is one of my flaws. I keep on thinking only about myself. I am selfish. Even to the point where I put the blame all to myself. Na kahit hindi ko kasalanan ay aakuin ko. Just like what happened to Violet when Liam kidnapped her. I blamed myself about what happened in the parking lot as it was my plan. But it turns out that the kidnap thing was all for a show. 

And now this. I blamed myself again for what my father did. Na utos naman ng gamemaster sa kanya. I blamed myself and I couldn’t bear the embarrassment I felt for the team kaya nakapagbitaw ako ng mga salita that hurt my father.

I sighed. What he did isn’t right. He killed people just to save the family he was bulding. But then again, I’m no different, aren’t I? I killed people for the EL Ordre. I killed people so I could live.

I looked at the laptop again. The green dot beside my father’s name indicates that he’s online. That this is the right time to call him.

I closed my eyes. And when I opened it again, I decided to click the call button.

Anxiety is eating me as I wait for the call to be connected. My father and I aren’t that close. Malayo ang loob ko sa kanya. Tumatak sa isip ko ang mga panahon na sya pa ang nagte-train sa akin noon. He trained me to be a good agent under the EL Ordre. He’s the one who taught me everything. Even to become emotionless while doing our work. That’s why I became the best fighter of the team.

Hindi ko pa rin makakalimutan noong pinatay nya ang alaga kong aso sa mismong harapan ko. He shot the poor, innocent dog without batting an eye. At hindi nya ako binigyan ng permiso para umiyak. And when he forced me to marry Gon, mas lalong lumayo ang loob ko sa kanya.

Until I’ve found out everything.

He was training me so I could prepare on this moment. The endgame. He trained my emotions so it wouldn’t rule over me if we fought the gamemaster. He forced me to marry Gon so I will have my Pawn promotion and be the Queen’s Bishop of the team. Dahil ang mga Pawn ang madalas na ipinapain sa mga kalaban.

He was doing his best to be a good father to me, to protect me. Yet I misunderstand him.

“Pàpa…” I muttered when he answered the call. Bumungad sa screen ng laptop ang mukha nya. He was in his office again inside our house based on the familiar wooden bookshelves at his back.

“Vexen…”

My heart sank when I noticed how he looked. He seems so tired. Lubog ang mga mata nya na parang ilang araw nang hindi nakakatulog. He looked so thin.

“What happened to you, Pàpa?” hindi ko na mapigilang itanong.

But instead of answering, he sighed.

“I’ll get Raven.”

“No!” pigil ko sa kanya bago pa sya makatayo. Umayos sya ng upo. He looked at me and I saw confusion in his eyes.

He’s probably wondering why I’m calling him if not for Raven. It’s obvious na nasa isip nya pa rin ang naging huling pag-uusap namin. Thinking that I’m still mad at him.

Merda … Now I feel worst. He’s probably looking like this, gone the aura of a former EL Ordre’s chess piece, because of what happened.

“I’m not calling because of Raven.” I said, which is true. Isa pa, ayokong makita muna ang anak namin ni Death. Baka biglang magpa-book agad ako ng flight sa sobrang pagka-miss sa kanya.

I miss my daughter so much but it’s better not to see her now. Mas lalo lang madadagdagan ang lungkot ko lalo pa at hindi ko sya mahahawakan.

I heard my father sighed. Isinandal nya ang likod sa upuan nya na parang pagod na pagod.

“Then what is it?” he asked.

Nakagat ko ang pang-ibabang labi ko. “I’m sorry…”

My eyes teared up. Gusto ko mang pigilan para makausap si Pàpa ay kusa namang namuo ang luha sa mga mata ko.

Merda! Stop, tears! Merda! It isn’t for you to show yet! I just only said two words! I haven’t explained everything to my father!

I decided to look down ’cause this fucking tears just won’t stop. Patuloy lang namuo iyon sa mga mata ko na nagpalabo ng paningin ko. I groaned.

Pregnancy hormones!

“I was…” napasinghot pa ako! “being inconsiderate of your feelings. I didn’t try to understand your side. I was only thinking of myself.”

I’m sure that my father was looking at me pero hindi ko magawang mag-angat ng tingin para tignan sya. Mas malala pa ang nararamdaman kong kahihiyan ngayon kaysa noong nalaman kong may kinalaman si Pàpa as to why the game became bloddy.

“I was only thinking of the embarrassment I felt towards the team. The shame when I discovered that what you did was just the start why the game became bloody.” I said. A tear had escaped from my eyes which I quickly wiped. “And I’m so sorry if I hurt your feelings. That wasn’t my intention.”

“Vexen, look at me.”

That voice… That’s the voice that he was using before. That strict voice so I will follow his orders instantly. It’s been so long since I’ve heard it.

Nag-angat ako ng tingin pero taliwas sa tono ng boses nya ay nakita ko ang malamlam nyang tingin sa akin. He looked at me and I saw love in his eyes. Love for his daughter. Mas lalong sumakit ang dibdib ko nang makita ko iyon.

“Never ever look down when you’re apologizing to someone. Look them in the eye if you’re really sincere.” he said. His voice was so soft and gentle. “Now… what were you saying again?”

Nanginig ang mga labi ko. Mas lalong namuo ang luha sa mga mata ko. I sobbed.

“I’m so sorry!”

Hindi ko na napigilan ang malakas na paghagulgol. Masakit sa pakiramdam ang masaktan ang magulang. I couldn’t even bear the pain. It worsen when I thought of everything he did for our family, just to protect me. He did everything yet I just keep on getting mad at him.

Did I ever thanked him for what he’d done?

Now that I’m a mother, I understand my father better. Thinking of Raven’s future and safety, I am willing to do everything as well. I realized that you will not fully understand a person unless you’re in their shoes. That’s why it is better to always be considerate of other’s feelings and not to let your emotion or anger rule over you. Especially if you do not know his or her story.

Three sides. Your, theirs, and the truth.

Father taught me to control my emotions. But when Death came, nagulo ang sistema ko. Parang sumabog ang emosyon ko at hinayaan kong maramdaman lang iyon. I sometimes became unreasonable because of it. Always blaming myself, being selfish that I began hurting others.

It isn’t that bad to be selfish. It isn’t that bad to think about yourself, But make sure to set limitations so that you won’t hurt others. It’s okay to be selfish, as long as wala kang tinatapakang tao.

I saw my father smiled at me. Mas lalo lang tuloy akong naiyak! ’Yung ngiti nya kasi, he even looked so proud at me. Eh, nasaktan ko na nga sya!

“It’s okay, Vexen. I understand.” sabi nyang mas ikinaiyak ko pa.

He’s not perfect but he’s the best father for me.

“I understand you, my daughter. Stop crying. I can’t hug and comfort you.”

Sinubukan kong tumigil sa pag-iyak. But I still keep on sobbing. I even feel like a child at this moment. And I realized that whenever our parents are around, we couldn’t help but to feel like a kid at times. As their comfort since we were young is something that we will never forget.

“I’m sorry too, Vexen.” he said so suddenly. “I’m sorry if I made you feel ashame. I know my ways to protect you were not something to be proud of but that’s the only choice I have.”

Hindi pa man sya tapos magsalita ay umiling na ako.

“It’s okay, Pàpa.” I said. “I totally understand you. And I’m thankful for doing your best to be a good father to me.”

Namumula ang mga mata nya nang muli syang ngumiti sa akin. I wasn’t crying now pero patuloy pa rin ako sa paghikbi.

“All parents will do everything for their child.”

I shook my head to what he said.

“Not all parents, Pàpa. Only the good parents will.” I said, remembering Eresh.

Yes… Hindi lahat. And I am thankful that my father is one of those good parents that will do everything for their child. He’s actually the best.

Inayos ko muna ang sarili ko. I let myself calm down first. Hinayaan lang din ako ni Pàpa. And he looked better now compared earlier. Mukha pa rin syang pagod but I see hapiness in his eyes now.

“I have something to ask you.” sabi ko nang makalma ko na ang sarili ko.

Pàpa nodded. “Go on.”

“What was the reason why the gamemaster ordered you to kill the former Rook of the Red Faction?”

Muling syang bumuntong-hininga.

“He never gave me the full explanation which isn’t new. We were only given orders to carry out missions. That’s why I didn’t probe for a reason as well.” he said. “But I remember he said something.”

I frowned. “What is?”

“That I should kill the Rook as he’s a threat.”

“A threat?” mas lalong nangunot ang noo ko.

My father nodded. “A threat. That’s the only thing he said. I was thinking that the Rook must’ve thought of something to ruin both groups. That’s my interpretation to what the gamemaster have said.” he sighed. “I thought that I was doing something to bring peace but it was actually the opposite.”

“You didn’t know…”

He just smiled at me.

Natahimik ako. May iniisip. The gamemaster splits them into two groups to settle the misunderstanding between the team. Dahil hindi nagagawa ng team na magkasundo sa mga misyon. The Human Chess game was created because of that.

Its purpose was to bring back the peace between the two group yet, the conflict just became worse when father killed the Rook. And that’s how it started to became bloody.

But something is not right. There’s a puzzle that doesn’t fit in the picture.

I looked at my father.

“The Red Faction started this game even without a King and the gamemaster knew about it.” I said. “They even broke some rules. They got punishment for some but for the rest, he just let them.”

I saw my father frowned. “And?”

“You realized that Eresh was a part of the Red Faction as she is against the government. So I figured that the Red Faction is against them. They even tried to sabotage our missions for the government back then.”

Pàpa nodded. “And the EL Ordre is the one who’s helping the government.”

I looked away to think for a bit. Mas pinalala lang noon ang hinala ko.

“Vexen… what are you thinking?”

I wet my lips and looked at my father again when I thought of something.

“I’m thinking that the gamemaster favors the Red Faction because he might be against the government as well.”

Chapter 37

“It’s entirely impossible, Vexen.”

I just sighed. That was what my father had said. It was just my hunch. I based my speculations on what’s happening and to what the other members noticed about the game. Eresh mentioned before that the gamemaster might wanted the Red Faction to win the game as he still let them go against us even if they didn’t have a King.

If this was a fair game, hindi na sana hinayaan ng gamemaster na maglaro ang Red Faction sa simula pa lang. Eresh also mentioned that he was sometimes watching them had their training in their hideout. Samantalang hindi namin kailanman nakita ang gamemaster. Nito lang nakaraan kung saan sinubukan naming sumugod sa hideout nila. And it was only on the monitors too.

So Eresh’s hunch actually has some grounds. That’s why that thought came into my mind. That the gamemaster was against the government too. Same with what the Red Faction has been fighting for.

I scratched the back of my ears. Sumandal ako sa sofang inuupuan ko at hinilot ang sintido ko. I’m not really good at planning. Noong huli akong nagplano para sa grupo ay pumalpak pa. Kaya mas gusto ko na lang ang makipaglaban kaysa ang mag-isip. I was so used in following orders and plans anyway.

We were in the living room again. Sinabi ko sa EL Ordre ang pinag-usapan namin ni Papà.

“He said that it was the gamemaster who’s been giving us the orders from the government. Sa kanya pinapadaan ng gobyerno ang mga utos bago nya ibigay sa atin.” paliwanag ko.

We all looked at L. Nakatingin sya sa laptop nya, trying to monitor if someone was spying on us again. Simula nang ma-hack nina Shielder ang CCTV ng hideout ay hindi na nya inalis ang mga mata nya sa laptop para bantayan ang security system ng EL Ordre. He’s being cautious in case someone will turn off the security alarm again.

It’s obvious. Kahit hindi nya sabihin ay duda pa rin sya kay Tracer. As Tracer has access with our security system too. He can turn it on and off and let someone in to hack the CCTV. L chose to remain silent this time for the sake of the group.

“L, di’ba ikaw ang nakakatanggap ng email for our missions?” Aius said. Nasa harapan ulit sya para magsulat sa glass board. “Can you figure out if it’s from the gamemaster?”

Saglit syang sinulyapan ni L bago muling ibinalik ang tingin sa laptop nya.

“I can’t. The email address were untraceable.” he said.

“Pero tingin mo galing sa gamemaster ang mga email?” tanong ni Archer na muling nakaupo sa baitang ng hagdan.

“It’s possible.” nag-angat si L ng tingin. His gaze bore on mine. “V, your father said that it was the gamemaster who’s been handling the group even before, right?”

I nodded. “Kahit noong iisang grupo pa lang, it was the gamemaster who’s giving orders to the group.”

“Then it’s really possible that he was the one who’s been sending me those emails for our missions.” L said.

“So he’s not against the government?” tanong kong nag-aalangan.

Sabi na, eh! Mas okay na talaga kung makipaglaban na lang ako!

“We shouldn’t disregard your idea.” Fourth suddenly said. He was so quiet and was just observing what’s happening kaya nagulat pa ako nang magsalita sya. “If the gamemaster was the who’s giving us the orders, then the possibility of him being the one who’s giving the Red Faction their missions as well is high. Given the fact that EL Ordre and the Red Faction was just a one group before.”

Yes! Thank you, Fourth! Feeling ko tuloy ay ang talino ko dahil nag-agree sya sa sinabi ko!

Plutus snapped his fingers like he just had a eureka moment. Itinuro nya pa si Fourth.

“Right. Isang grupo lang ang EL Ordre at Red Faction noon. Then it splits into two groups but we still have one gamemaster. It just means that he was the one who’s giving orders for both groups.”

Fourth nodded. His face was grim. “Possible.”

“So against talaga sya sa government?” nalilito ko nang tanong. 

Merda! Now I feel so bobo again.

Death smiled at me.

“It’s a possibility, Vexen.” he said. “But we’re not sure. Ang gamemaster ang nagbibigay ng orders sa EL Ordre that was from the government. If he’s really against them, hindi nya ibibigay sa atin ang mga misyon na iyon. We know that those missions were to help the government.”

“But he’s also the one who’s giving orders to the Red Faction.” Kuya Vander said. “We all know that those missions were to sabotage us.”

“Pero hindi sila nagtatagumpay.” Tracer said. “I think that sabotaging our mission wasn’t their priority.”

“Ah, oo.” Archer said. “Mga Pawn lang ang pinakikilos nila sa mga ganoon kaya mabilis nating matalo. They didn’t put much effort stopping our missions.”

“But Eresh said that the gamemaster might want the Red Faction to win the game.” sabi ko.

Tracer looked at me. “Then why did he give order to your father to kill the Red Faction’s former Rook?”

Natahimik ako doon.

“So it’s possible that the gamemaster is helping the government as well.” Hoax said.

I heard Aius sighed. He sat down at the sofa in front of him. “We’re back to square one again.”

Bumalot ang katahimikan sa amin. I ran my fingers through my hair out of frustration. Ito talaga ’yung part na ayoko. Mababalewala ang isang idea dahil sa panibagong idea. We thought that we’re making a progress pero babalik lang kami sa simula.

Damn it. The fucking old geezer knows how to play this game really well.

Tumayo si Aius. Nagsulat sya sa glass board, connecting lines on the names based on the ideas that we shared. Nang matapos ay tinitigan nya ang board. I could tell that’s he’s trying to make something out of those ideas. Sinubukan ko ding tumingin doon pero na-realize kong strength ko talaga ang pakikipaglaban at hindi ang pag-iisip.

“The gamemaster was the one who’s handling the group.” I heard Aius muttered. “And he split it into two when the group didn’t have the same vision anymore, creating the Human Chess game to settle everything. But it became chaotic and bloody when the Red Faction’s former Rook was killed by V’s father, the EL Ordre’s former Pawn.”

Aius looked at Fourth. Nakita kong nag-usap ang mga mata nila bago tumango si Fourth.

I couldn’t help but to smirk. Fourth is the best Bishop for Aius. Kahit hindi magsalita ang King ay alam na alam nya ang iniisip nito. I also noticed that even before I knew that Aius is the real King. They’re good. Kaya nga hindi man lang ako nakahalata sa pagpapalit nila ng chess piece position nila.

“There’s always a flaw in everything. Eresh said that before.” Fourth said. “Even in the gamemaster’s moves. We just have to find it.”

Aius nodded. “We also need to find the reason why he ordered to V’s father to kill the Red Faction’s former Rook. I think that plays a major role about the gamemaster’s real agenda.”

“V, wala ba talagang ibang nabanggit sa’yo ang ama mo kung bakit daw nya kailangan gawin ’yon?” Archer asked me. Mabilis akong umiling.

“The gamemaster just said the the Rook was a threat to the group. Bukod doon, wala na.”

Fourth stood up. Napatingin kaming lahat sa kanya. He stood in front of the glass board and stared at it. Ang isang kamay nya ay sinusundan ang bawat linya doon. It’s obvious that he’s thinking really hard. Parang may gustong malaman kaya ganoon na lang ang pag-iisip.

We went silent. We all know that Fourth is smart and cunning just like his Queen Eresh. Once he got cornered and there’s no way out, he will just make his way out so easily. Gamit lamang ang utak nya.

He’s  been the brain of the group before. Isa lang naman ang pagkakamali nya. It was when he offered Shielder to be the bait to lure out the Red Faction’s Queen. But I wouldn’t deny the fact that he’s the best when it comes to planning as well.

He could manipulate people easily to make them do what he wanted. Just like what he did to Artemis, Alter and me.

And now that Eresh isn’t here, he’s our best hope in this.

“I think the gameaster is someone from the government.”

Nagulat ako doon. I looked at the glass board trying to find where he actually get that idea. Pero kahit na lumuwa pa ang mata ko sa kakahanap ay wala akong makita doon.

“That’s what I thought too.” sabi pa ni Aius.

Ako na lang ba ang hindi nag-iisip ng ganoon?

“Is it the President?” Plutus asked but Fourth shook his head.

“No, no. The President is too busy to handle us.”

“E’di mas pinatibay lang n’yan ang ideya na tinutulungan nga ng gamemaster ang government.” Archer said. Mukhang sya ay nalilito na rin sa nangyayari.

Aius looked at him. “We can’t be so sure. Pero sa ngayon, hanggang dito na lang muna ang isipin natin. We didn’t have anything to prove our suspicion. Hindi maganda kung basta-basta na lang tayo mamintang ng kung sino-sino.”

“What should we do now?” L asked. “Alter and Eresh are in danger the more they stay with the gamemaster.”

“We will try to find them. After that, defeat the gamemaster.” Fourth said. “We’ll try to take Shielder back with us as well.”

“I don’t think he’ll go with us that easily.” Plutus said and puffed on his vape. Tumingin si Fourth sa kanya gamit ang seryosong mga mata.

“Then we’ll have to force him.”

Napatingin ako kay Tracer. He didn’t give any reaction on what Fourth have said. Tingin ko ay napag-usapan na nila ang tungkol dito. Afterall, Fourth was the one who took Tracer back in the hideout.

“Paano na’tin sila mahahanap? L couldn’t locate them.” Archer asked.

Napatingin si Aius kay L.

“L, can you now hack the Red Faction’s hideout?” he asked. “The one we lately infiltrated.”

Hindi inaalis ang mga mata sa laptop nang magsalita si L. “I’m not sure but I can try. Do you want me to hack it?”

Aius nodded. “Just tell us if there’s still someone in the hideout.”

“Okay.” tahimik na sabi ni L. “Give me a minute.”

“Do you need help?”

Natahimik ang buong hideout sa tanong na iyon ni Tracer para kay L. I bit my lower lip as I felt the tension in the air. Halata pa rin kasi ang pag-iwas ni L kay Tracer pero hindi na sila nag-aaway kagaya noon.

L lifted his gaze to Tracer. Ang itim nyang mga mata ay nanatiling nakatitig doon. Tracer didn’t back down and stared back at him. In the end, L sighed and shook his head.

“No, I can do it.” he said. Wala namang sinabi si Tracer at tumango lang.

I sighed. Nakahinga ako nang maluwag. It was a small talk and L’s indifference towards Tracer was still obvious but I’m glad that L was talking to him now. I was a good start.

After a minute, L finally hacked the Red Faction’s hideout. Sinabi nya kay Aius kung ilang tao pa ang nandoon at nagbabantay. It ’s actually strange that someone was still guarding that hideout when it’s clear that the Red Faction already moved to another hideout again.

Aius gave orders for Plutus, Archer and Death that they will need to do later tonight. Hindi ko pa rin maiwasan ang kabahan lalo na nang umalis sila. I know their skills and I trust them pero talaga yatang kakabahan na ako kapag may mga misyon si Death na kailangan gawin.

I hate this feeling. I hate thinking like this. Thinking like with Death’s every mission, I wouldn’t see him again. Natatakot ako na baka may mangyaring masama sa kanya.

I went to the kitchen para magtimpla ng gatas. I wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight hanggang hindi pa bumabalik ang tatlo so I decided to stay in the living room with the rest of the team. Kahit na pinipilit na nila akong magpahinga at gigisingin na lang daw kapag bumalik na sina Death.

Pumasok si Tracer sa kitchen at dumiretso sa ref to drink water. The ref was behind me. I went silent. Pinakiramdaman ko lang sya habang nagsasalin sya ng tubig sa baso para uminom doon.

I could still remember that night when I saw him talking with Eresh. He wasn’t supposed to be in the hideout especially that L and him weren’t okay that time. Then morning after, Eresh went missing.

I don’t want to suspect him with anything but I just couldn’t help it.

Narinig ko ang paglalapag nya ng baso. He’s done drinking water. Tapos na rin akong magtimpla ng gatas ko pero nanatili pa rin akong nakatayo dito sa may countertop, hindi sya nililingon. Pero nang maglakad sya palabas ng kitchen ay tinawag ko na sya.

“Tracer.”

He stopped and looked at me.

“V.”

I smiled at him. “How are you?”

He frowned. Halata ang pagkalito nya sa tanong ko pero sinagot nya pa rin. “Fine. Ikaw? I know you’re worried about Kier but I’m sure they’ll make it.”

Tumango ako at bumaba ang tingin sa baso ng gatas na hawak ko. Tracer remained standing on the kitchen’s entrance. Alam kong alam nyang may sasabihin pa ko. We knew each other for so long. I was by his side when he chose to left his goddess for her safety. He was there when my heart got broken because of Death.

It was so hard for me to think about him this way.

“The night before Eresh went missing… I saw you talking with her.”

Nag-angat ako ng tingin. He didn’t show any reaction with what I’ve said kaya nagpatuloy ako.

“Eresh seemed angry. Hindi ko alam kung anong pinag-uusapan nyo but the morning after, she went missing.” I took a deep breath. “Wala lang naman iyon… di’ba?”

My eyes remained on him. Nakakatitig lang din sya sa akin. His gray eyes looked so dark, like the calm before the storm kaya hindi ko maiwasan ang kabahan.

Then finally, he shook his head.

“Wala lang ’yon, V.”

Marahan akong tumango. “I shouldn’t put much thought about that, right?”

He made a low chuckle. “Yes. Now, come on. Balik na tayo sa living room.”

I smiled at him. “Mauna ka na. Susunod ako.”

He nodded and finally went out of the kitchen. Mabilis na nawala ang ngiti sa mga labi ko pagkaalis nya. My face went grim and I could feel my heart ache.

I really hope that that’s the case, Tracer. I really hope that you didn’t and will not betray the EL Ordre.

Chapter 38

I emptied the glass of milk in my hands and put it on the coffee table in front of me. I just stared at it, not moving for a second like the glass would just fill itself up with milk again.

The anxiety is killing me. Hindi ko nagugustuhan ang nararamdaman ko habang nakaupo lang ako sa isa sa mga sofa dito sa living room ng hideout. I tried to divert my attention by talking with the other members of the EL Ordre but I just couldn’t shake off the fact that my husband isn’t with me right now as he is still doing mission out there, putting his life in danger.

Gosh… Masusuka na yata ako sa kaba.

“V!”

I was shocked when Hoax’s snapped his fingers in front me. I know that he was just trying to get my attention but my instinct kicked in. I tried to catch his wrist but Hoax caught mine with his other hand. I pulled him towards me and put my other hand that wasn’t holding him around his neck. Hoax just smirked at me and put both of his hands in the air, surrendering himself.

Mabilis ko syang binitiwan. “Sorry.”

He chuckled. Hinilot nya ang leeg nya bago natatawa akong tinignan.

“I was just checking on you since I’m worried. You’re not moving while staring at the glass in front of you. But you choke me instead.” reklamo nya.

“Sorry. It was my instinct that kicked in.” I tried to say sorry again.

“Apology not accepted.”

I glared at him. He chuckled before he sat down on the armrest of the sofa where I was sitting.

“Kidding aside, are you okay?”

Agad akong napabuntong-hininga sa tanong nya. Paano ko ba sasagutin ’yon? Am I okay? Okay nga ba ako kung pakiramdam ko ay mamamatay na ako dahil sa sobrang kaba dito?

I groaned out of frustration. Stress is not good for pregnant women but here I am, stressing the shit out of me!

Will I ever have a peace of mind? Will I ever have it?

“I’m worried about Death.” I truthfully said. “I’m worried about the team.”

Dama ko ang titig sa akin ni Hoax pero ako ay nakatingin lang ulit sa baso sa harapan ko. I’m not really sure about what their mission is. Aius talked to them privately at hindi rin naman sinabi sa akin ni Death kung ano iyon. For my sake daw para ’di ako mag-alala. But I think whether I knew about their mission or not, I’ll still be worried about him.

“Can’t blame you though.” Hoax said. “I’m worried about my brother too.”

Napatingin ako kay Hoax. Oo nga pala. Death is his brother too. They’re step-brothers to be exact. How could I forget about that? I’m sure na nag-aalala nga rin sya sa kapatid nya ngayon.

So insensitive of me.

“But hey.” he smiled while looking down at me. “I know that he could do it. He’s strong. And I’m sure that he’ll do everything to get back ’cause his family waiting for him.”

Napangiti na rin tuloy ako dahil sa sinabi nya. That gave me comfort. Lalo pa at alam kong pareho kaming nag-aalala para kay Death but Hoax was still trying to comfort me.

I stared at him. His coffee colored eyes looked so attractive. He has a harsh features on his face with an angled jaw pero kapag ngumiti ay mahahalata na sobrang approachable sya. Ibang-iba sa pagiging marahas ng mukha nya.

Gon is an attractive man. He has his own charms that’s why girls flocked over him too. Naaalala kong pinagpupustahan pa namin ang mga babae nya noon.

I still can’t believe na muntik na akong makasal sa kanya.

I glanced at Fourth. Magkatabi sila ni Aius at tahimik na nag-uusap. Muli kong ibinalik ang tingin ko kay Hoax.

“How’s Ishtar?” tanong ko maya-maya.

He shrugged his shoulders. “She’s fine. Still ashamed with what she did.”

Halata naman. Kaya nga hindi bumababa dito para makisali sa misyon namin. Sana man lang ay subukan nyang tumulong sa grupo para makabawi sa ginawa nya.

I don’t know. Is she really ashamed? Or is it her pride? Bakit naman si Eresh ay gumawa agad ng hakbang para makabawi sa pagkakamali nya? Does she think that a sorry will make everything’s right?

“Is she eating the food you’re giving her?”

Sumulyap sa akin si Hoax bago tumango. “Nakakakain at nakakatulog naman sya.”

I chuckled when he tried to speak in Tagalog. In fairness! Ang galing nya, ha?

“Why are you here and not with her? I bet she’s bored.”

Hoax looked down at me with a frown on his face.

“Why do I need to be with her?” he asked, nakakunot pa rin ang noo. “My brother is out there risking his life with his mission that’s why I’m here.”

“I thought you and Ishtar have something?”

“What?” Hoax has this ridiculous expression on his face. Pagkatapos ay tumawa sya. “I already have someone, Vexen.”

That shocked me! “Ilan?” tanong kong hindi naniniwala. Babaero kaya s’ya!

He chuckled. “I already said ‘someone’, Vexen.”

Natawa na rin ako. I guess I’m losing my common sense dahil sa pag-aalala ko para kay Death. Pati tamang pagbibilang ay hindi ko na magawa.

I was nervous and worried ang here’s Hoax trying to have a conversation with me. I know that he was just diverting my attention. Siguro ay napansin nya na hindi maganda ang ekspresyon ng mukha ko kanina so he decided to talk to me.

Hoax tapped my back before he stood up and took the emptied glass of milk from the coffee table. Sinundan ko sya ng tingin hanggang sa mawala na sya sa paningin ko nang pumasok sya sa kitchen area.

We all waited for the three to come back. I was watching L, giving instructions to them as he now have access to all of the CCTVs inside the Red Faction’s hideout. Pinapakinggan ko ang sinsabi nya, minding the tone of his voice para malaman kung may nangyayari na bang masama sa tatlo. But his voice sounds so calm and bored kaya napagtanto kong ayos pa naman ang lahat.

But I guess the team wasn’t only worried for the three. Kanina pa kasi nila ako binibigyan ng kung ano-ano. They gave me pillow that I could hug and a blanket. Kulang na lang ay pahigain pa ako sa sofa. They also gave me food and snacks at natuwa pa ako na good for pregnant woman ang mga binibigay nila sa akin.

Did they search for this?

“What are you doing, Tracer?” asked Kuya Vander. Napatingin tuloy ako kay Tracer na nakaharap na naman sa laptop nya ngayon.

“Trying to find the new hideout of the Red Faction.” he answered.

Hindi na nagsalita si Kuya Vander at tumango na lang. I noticed L glanced at Tracer pero wala rin naman syang sinabi at nagpatuloy na lang sa ginagawa nya.

I don’t know how long we’ve waited when Plutus, Archer and Death finally came back to the hideout. Mabilis akong tumayo sa kinauupuan ko para sana salubungin ang asawa ko but I stopped on my tracks when I saw that he and Plutus were carrying a man on their shoulders. Ang lalaki ay may takip na itim na tela sa kanyang ulo. Maging si Tracer ay nakita kong napatigil sa ginagawa sa laptop nya para tignan ang nangyayari.

“Bring him to the training room.” utos ni Aius na nagpabalik sa wisyo ko.

“Sino sya?” tanong ko habang sinusundan sila. “Anong gagawin nyo sa kanya?”

“Kakausapin lang namin s’ya.” it was Archer who answered me. Inakbayan nya pa ako at sinabayan sa paglalakad. “Itatanong lang namin kung alam nya kung nasaan ang bagong hideout ng Red Faction.”

Uh-oh.I don’t feel so good about this.

They took the man to the training room. Sumunod kaming lahat doon. Kumuha sila ng upuan na kahoy at pinaupo doon ang lalaki. The man was unconcious kaya naging madali sa kanila na itali ang lalaki sa upuan para hindi makatakas.

“Do we really need to do this?” tanong ko.

He was a hired Pawn. Wala silang kinalaman sa laro at nadamay lang. He’s a victim as well. kaya alangan talaga ako sa gusto nilang mangyari ngayon.

“L and Tracer couldn’t fight against Shielder’s hacking skills. Only Alter have a chance.” it was Plutus. Matapos itali ang mga paa ng lalaki sa upuan ay tumayo sya at tumingin sa akin. “This is our only chance to know where their new hideout is. Hilingin na lang natin na alam ng gunggong na ’to kung nasaan iyon.”

“We will not kill him, V.” Aius said. “Pahihirapan lang ng kaunti at tatakutin.”

Death stood beside me. Naramdaman kong pumalibot ang braso nya sa bewang ko bago bumulong sa tenga ko.

“You can stay outside if it’s too much for you.”

Mabilis akong umiling. “No. I want to be here.” That’s not my issue. Ayoko lang na may iba pang madamay sa larong ito.

Death stared at me. His mismatched eyes will never fail to captivate me at ang pag-aalalang naramdaman ko kanina ay nawala na ngayon. I saw him nod his head before he kissed me on the forehead.

“L, can you find information about this man?” Fourth said. Tinanggal nya ang telang nakatakip sa ulo ng lalaki. “Find anything that we can use against him. Find his weakness.”

Tinitigan ni L ang lalaki bago tumango. “Alright.”

“Wake him up.” Aius ordered.

Hinawakan ni Death ang siko ko para ilayo ako ng bahagya doon. Nakita ko si Tracer na nakatayo lang sa isang tabi, sa bandang likod habang nakasandal sa pader. His eyes looked so dark and his face looked so serious. It’s like he’s thinking about something pero hindi ko malaman kung ano.

When his eyes found mine, mabilis akong nag-iwas ng tingin at tumingin na lang sa harap. Si Fourth ay lumayo na din doon at tumayo sa tabi ko.

Plutus crouched down in front of the man and tapped him on the cheeks. Napansin ko ang mga pasa sa mukha ng lalaki.

“Hoy, gising.” he said. Ilang ulit nyang ginawa iyon pero hindi pa rin nagising ang lalaki.

Plutus stared at the man for about a minute. Nakatingin lang kami sa kanya, hinihintay kung anong gagawin nya. I saw him sighed and after that, he slapped the man hard in the face. Sobrang lakas na nag-echo pa yata ang tunog sa buong training room!

Merda! Kahit patay magigising sa sampal na ’yon!

“Plutus!” saway ni Aius na nabigla din yata sa ginawa nya.

Plutus looked at him. “Tangina, ayaw magising, eh! Oh, kita mo? Gising na s’ya ngayon.”

Indeed, the man moved. Nag-angat sya ng tingin. Mukhang distorted pa noong una at nang ma-realize kung anong nangyayari ay napangisi na lang.

“Good fucking morning, sleeping ugly.” bati ni Plutus sa kanya. He puffed on his vape after that.

“EL Ordre…” the man said. May ngisi sa mga labi nya.

“I’m surprised you know about us.” Plutus said. Tumayo sya at nagpagpag ng kamay. “Thought the gamemaster didn’t tell you kung anong anong pinapasok n’yo ngayon.”

The man chuckled. Hindi na nagsalita at nakangising tumitig lang kay Plutus.

I noticed L stood up. Naglakad sya palapit sa Aius.

“The man is an orphan. Walang pamilya o kahit na ano. He’s been in and out of jail due to robbery.” he said.

Napatingin si Aius sa kanya. “Nothing to use against him?”

L shook his head. “Nothing.”

The man laughed. Mukhang narinig nya ang pinag-uusapan nina L at Aius.

“Alam nyo, ang mga kinukuha nila ay ’yung mga walang-wala.” the man said. “Those people who have nothing to lose. Kaya kung sa tingin n’yo ay may makukuha kayo sa’kin, nagkakamali kayo.”

Plutus punched the man so hard in the face that surprised us again. Napadaing ang lalaki at dumura ng dugo sa sahig.

“Plutus, ano ba?!” inis nang saway ni Aius.

“Ah, pasensya. Nakakabuwisit kasi ang putanginang mukha n’ya.”

I heard Fourth and Death chuckled beside me. Inis ko silang tinignan pero mas lalo lang natawa ang dalawa.

“Sabihin mo sa amin kung nasaan ang bagong hideout ng Red Faction.” Aius asked the man.

The man smirked at Aius. Iginala n’ya ang tingin sa buong training room at tumigil iyon sa banda ni Fourth. He chuckled before he looked at Aius again.

“Hindi n’yo na ako kailangan para d’yan.” he said. “Alam na ng isa sa inyo kung nasaan ang hinahanap n’yo.”

I stilled. Mabilis akong napatingin kay Fourth na hindi ko alam kung bakit ko ginawa. But his sea-green eyes were emotionless. Nakatingin lang s’ya doon sa lalaki.

“Anong sinasabi mo?” Archer asked and the man laughed again.

“There’s a mole in your group.” he said.

Natigilan kaming lahat doon. Pakiramdam ko ay biglang nanlamig ang buong paligid. I remember all the times I did missions with the EL Ordre. Those times that we helped each other. Bakit parang ang layo-layo na noon?

“May traydor sa grupo n’yo.” sabi pa ng lalaki at muling tumingin sa banda ni Fourth. “Di’ba?”

“Hoy!” hinablot ni Plutus ang buhok ng lalaki. “Stop toying with us, motherfucker!”

Tumawa ang lalaki. “Nagsasabi ako ng totoo! May traydor sa inyo! At alam ng traydor kung nasaan ang hinahanap n’yo kaya hindi n’yo na ako kailangan!”

“Putangina, walang maniniwala sa’yo!” marahas na binitiwan ni Plutus ang buhok ng lalaki.

The man laughed. Kinilabutan ako sa pagtawang iyon. Pagkatapos ay muli s’yang tumingin sa banda ni Fourth.

“Traitor.” he muttered under his breath.

I heard a loud gunshot that echoed throughout the entire training room. Hindi ako nakagalaw sa sobrang gulat at kaba lalo na nang makita ko na bumaon ang bala ng baril sa ulo ng lalaki.

Silence was all I could hear. Mas nakakabingi pa iyon kaysa sa malakas na putok ng baril na narinig ko. Then, slowly. I tried to look where the gunshot came from.

Lumingon ako sa likod. Doon sa likod sa may banda ni Fourth. And there, I saw Tracer holding a gun that was pointed at the direction of the man.

It was obvious.

Tracer shot him in the head.

Chapter 39

Awang ang mga labi ko habang hindi makapaniwalang nakatitig kay Tracer. He was holding a gun on his hands, pointed at the direction of the man. It was obvious that he was the one who shot him dead but I still couldn’t believe what I’m seeing right now.

Tracer’s eyes looked so dark and dangerous as he stared at the man who fell dead on the floor. Ibinaba nya ang baril nang makitang umaagos na ang malapot na pulang likido mula sa bungo n’ung lalaki. Walang emosyong makikita sa mukha nya habang nakatingin doon.

I gulped the emotions inside me. Hindi ko magawang alisin ang tingin ko kay Tracer. It was like he just became a total stranger in my eyes. Kahit na alam kong s’ya si Tracer, the man I was with, doing missions in the Italy, pakiramdam ko ay hindi ko na s’ya kilala ngayon.

I just really couldn’t believe it. He knew that the man was innocent. That the gamemaster just hired him as a bait, as an acting Pawn. And we swore, now that we’re the endgame, that we will do our best not to kill those hired goons in a fight. Kaya nga noong nakaraang sumugod kami ay tranquilizer lang ang ginamit namin as the bullet of our guns.

We know how it feels to be a victim. We know how it feels to be played at.

But now… Tracer killed an innocent man. At habang nakatingin ako sa kanya ngayon ay hindi ko man lang nakitaan ng pagsisisi ang mukha nya. There’s no any remorse in his eyes. And that made me scared so damn much.

Merda , Tracer. What’s happening to you?

“What the fuck, Tracer?” gulat na reaksyon ni Plutus. S’ya ang pinakamalapit sa lalaki kaya talaga sigurong ikinabigla n’ya na bumagsak na lang sa sahig ang lalaki at wala nang buhay.

“What have you done?” Fourth asked. His sea-green eyes were looking at Tracer with surprised expression as well.

Tingin ko ay lahat kami ay nagulat sa ginawa ni Tracer. No one had expecting him to do that! To kill a man who doesn’t have any chance of defending himself! Nakatali ang dalawang mga kamay at paa ng lalaki sa upuang kahoy and Tracer couldn’t even use a self-defense as a reason for what he did!

“I killed him.” simpleng sabi ni Tracer na parang walang anuman ang ginawa n’ya.

“You weren’t supposed to kill him, fucker!” si Archer na halatang gulat at inis din sa ginawa ng kaibigan.

Tracer unloaded his gun. Isinuksok n’ya iyon sa likurang bahagi ng pantalon n’ya.

“He’s toying with us. He’s just trying to ruin the group.” he said.

“We all know that, fucker!” gigil na sabi ni Aius. “Pero hindi mo pa rin s’ya dapat pinatay!”

“I could clearly tell that all of you are being affected by his words!” Tracer bellowed. “Who knows if the gamemaster ordered him to do that!”

“Fuck you, Hunter! That’s not the case!” Aius looked so frustrated now. He even called Tracer by his real name.

Aius balled his fist. Pabalik-balik syang naglakad na parang kinakalma ang sarili but it was clear that he’s doing a poor job. Marahas nyang isinuklay ang mga daliri sa buhok n’ya bago galit ang mga matang tumingin kay Tracer.

“Fucker. Ni hindi pa n’ya binibigay ang sagot kung nasaan ang bagong hideout ng Red Faction! He might be our only chance to know where it is but you blew it up!”

Aius seemed angry for what his friend this. He’s trying hard to stay calm, to assess the situation first but he’s having a hard time doing it. He’s frustrated as well. I guess that interrogating a hired goon from the Red Faction was his way to know where their new hideout is. He took the chance without any assurance if the goon knows the location.

But Tracer ruined it.

“There’s no fucking need to ask him, Aius!” si Tracer na halos sumigaw na din. “I already found where it is!”

Natigilan si Aius. But not only him. Kaming lahat ay natigilan doon.

Ang daming tanong na pumasok sa isip ko dahil sa sinabi nya. What? He already knew where it is? Kailan pa? Bakit ngayon n’ya lang sinabi? And how did he find it when L was having a hard time location the Red Faction?

I looked at the dead man on the floor. His words were lingering in my mind.

Merda! Stop thinking about it, Vexen!

“What?” Death muttered beside me. Mukhang nakabawi na sa pagkakagulat.

“You don’t fucking need that guy.” sabi ni Tracer na itinuro pa ang lalaking wala nang buhay sa sahig. “I already found where the Red Faction’s new hideout is.”

“Bakit hindi mo kaagad sinabi?”

Napatingin si Tracer kay Archer dahil sa tanong n’ya. The side of his lips rose in annoyance.

“I was about to when the three of you came back with an unconscious man.” Tracer reasoned out. “Nawalan na ako ng panahon na sabihin sa inyo ’cause Aius suddenly gave an order to brought the man here.”

“Sana sinabi mo pa rin!” si Plutus na marahas pang napasuklay ng buhok. Strands of his hair fell down dramatically on his forehead. “Fuck, Tracer. Kung sinabi mo agad, hindi na sana namatay ’tong gunggong na ’to!” he pointed at the dead man on the floor.

Tracer just stared at him. Hindi na nagsalita at halata ang inis sa mukha ni Plutus. Aius just sighed, finally able to calm himself down.

“Nahanap mo na ba talaga ang bagong hideout nila?” he asked.

Tracer nodded. “I did.”

“How?” It was L who asked him this time. “I was having a hard time finding them, Tracer. Shielder’s hacking skills is no joke. Paano mo natalo ’yon?”

I gulped. I don’t like where this is going. There’s still tension between them and L’s words towards Tracer often have hidden meanings that I’m sure Tracer understood.

Whatever L is planning to say, he must stop. Lalo pa ngayon na nabuksan na naman ang topic ng pagta-traydor dahil sa kalaban.

Tracer looked at L with no expression can be seen on his face.

“He’s still my brother, L.” he said. “I am the one who knows him the most.”

L snorted like he’s mocking what Tracer have just said. I could feel that the tensiom was getting thicker and thicker sa bawat batuhan nila ng mga salita.

I looked at Death, trying to ask for help to stop the two pero nakatingin lang din s’ya sa dalawa, particularly at Tracer. And I know that he’s doubting him as well.

“Really?” tanong ni L at halata ang pang-uuyam sa tono nya. “The last time I’ve checked, you were having a hard time defeating your brother’s hacking skills as well. That we decided to accept the voice’s help, the reason why Alter isn’t here right now.”

“Just get to the point, asshole.” Tracer said with a gritted teeth. His hands were already balled in a fist, trying to suppress his anger.

L smirked that made annoyed. Mas inaasar pa n’ya kasi ’yung isa, eh! At mukhang wala syang balak tumigil! Maybe that’s one of his traits being a few-word man? That when he started talking and expressing himself, hindi na s’ya mapipigilan.

“Why only now, Tracer? Bakit ngayon lang kung kailan may naisip na silang ibang paraan para mahanap ang kalaban?” L asked. He pointed at the dead man on the floor. His jet black eyes were throwing glares at Tracer. “That bastard said that the traitor knows where the Red Faction hideout is. Am I right, then? You’re a traitor?”

“L, mas gusto kita kapag tahimik ka.” pagsingit ni Archer na mukhang nakakaramdam na rin na may tensyon na namang namumuo sa dalawa.

Hindi nagsalita si Tracer. Nanatili lang s’yang nakatitig kay L gamit ang madilim n’yang mga mata. The expression on his face tells me that what will happen wouldn’t go so well. And I’m just here, watching the two of them glaring at each other.

Hindi ko lang akalain na aabot sila sa ganito. They used to worked so well with each other before. L was always asking for Tracer’s help if he knew that he couldn’t do the job alone. Pero ngayon ay ibang-iba na ang nangyayari.

Slowly, I saw Tracer’s lips formed into smirk. Bahagyang bumuka ang bibig n’ya nang tinusok ng dila nya ang loob ng pisngi n’ya, still wearing that cocky smirk on his lips. Then he chuckled with his low voice that seems to vibrate on the entire room.

He cocked his head sideways as he looked at L. His hands were in the side pockets of his pants.

“Tama ako. You got affected by that asshole’s words.”

“Who wouldn’t?” L said. Halata sa boses ang inis. “That man just said that the traitor knows where the Red Faction’s new hideout is! Tapos ngayon sasabihin mo sa amin na alam mo kung nasaan ang hideout. It means that you’re the traitor.”

Ang ngisi na nasa mga labi ni Tracer ay mas lumawak hanggang sa nauwi iyon sa halakhak. Tracer’s bark a laughter that could be heard in the entire room.

Nakatingin lang kami sa kanya habang tumatawa s’ya. I wasn’t actually expecting him to act this way. Nagbago ang reaksyon n’ya kumpara noong unang sinabihan din s’ya ng traydor ni L.

Humupa ang pagtawa ni Tracer. Pagkatapos ay may pang-uuyam na tinignan si L.

“You’re only good with computers, L. Pero hindi ka marunong mag-isip.” sumeryoso ang mukha n’ya. “If I’m really the traitor, hinding-hindi ko sasabihin sa inyong alam ko kung nasaan ang hideout. Especially that asshole just revealed that the traitor knows where it is.”

Itinuro n’ya ang lalaking nasa sahig. He stared at the lifeless man for a second before he looked back at L again with so much intensity in his eyes. His gray eyes were almost shouting danger.

“I didn’t say anything when you accused me of being a traitor in our group. I didn’t try to defend myself dahil ayokong magkagulo ang grupo. I fucking did what you wanted, to leave the hideout. But this has to stop now.”

Merda … I think Tracer’s emotions got bottled up inside him now. Nakikita ko ang galit at sakit sa mga mata n’ya habang sinasabi ang mga salitang iyon.

That was one of my concern as well. Tracer just keep his silence when L suspected him of being a traitor. When we suspected him that he’s betraying the group. Alam kong alam n’yang pinaghihinalaan namin s’ya. Na hindi lang si L kundi kaming lahat ay nawalan na ng tiwala sa kanya.

But still, he didn’t say anything. Some part of me thought that he’s guilty. Hindi n’ya man lang kasi dinepensahan ang sarili n’ya. But now he cleared it. Ayaw n’ya lang na magkagulo pa ang grupo. Ayaw n’yang sabayan ang galit ni L.

“I was accused for the reason that my brother is in the Red Faction, acting as their King and by having the hacking skills as well.” Tracer continued. “He is my brother and I really want to take him back but I will not make any move that will help the gamemaster. Have you all forgotten? My parents were killed because of this game! At kalahati ng buhay ko ang inilaan ko sa paghahanap ng pumatay sa kanila!”

Nag-iwas ako ng tingin sa kanya, hindi makayanan ang sakit na nakikita sa mga mata n’ya. I felt guilty. Ako ang kasama n’ya sa Italy habang hinahanap nya ang pumatay sa mga magulang n’ya noon. I saw how hard it was for him to be away from Artemis just to keep her safe as he tried to fix his life first. I saw his struggles trying to find the killer.

And yet… I still doubted him.

“I am one of those who wanted to kill the gamemaster to stop the game.” sabi ni Tracer na medyo huminahon na. “This game ruined my already fucked up life.”

I felt a pang on my chest. Merda! How could I ever forgotten his struggles? How could I ever suspected him as a traitor?

I looked at L. His face was void of emotions but I know that Tracer’s words have gotten through him. Alam na alam din n’ya ang paghihirap ni Tracer noon. He doesn’t even asked for anyone’s help to find the killer of his parents as he didn’t want to bother anyone. Kami pa nga ang nag-alok ng tulong sa kanya noon.

Shit… I am so damn guilty!

Tracer sighed and looked down. He brushed his hair with his fingers and wet his lips. Mukha s’yang hindi mapakali. And when he looked at us again, his expression changed.

Matigas ang ekpresyon na nagpapakita sa mukha n’ya habang tinitignan kami isa-isa. Like he’s trying to read us using his stares. Tumigil ang tingin n’ya kay L and when his smirked showed on his lips again, I panicked.

Merda! Bigla akong kinilabutan sa ngisi n’yang iyon!

“Anyone of us here could be a traitor, don’t you think?”

I gasped. Hindi makapaniwalang sinabi iyon ni Tracer. But he just chuckled na parang wala lang ang sinabi n’ya.

“L, you keep on suspecting me as the traitor. Maybe it was just for a show to keep that you’re the one who’s betraying the group.”

Nakita ko ang bahagyang pag-awang ng mga labi ni L sa gulat. At nang makabawi ay ang galit sa mga mata n’ya. Pero bago pa s’ya makapagsalita ay nagpatuloy si Tracer.

“You’re the tracker of the EL Ordre. You can turn on and off the security of the hideout. Hindi lang ako.” he scoffed. “Alter as well. Not to mention that she was a part of the Red Faction before.”

“What the fuck are you saying?” L asked. Napangisi si Tracer na parang nakuha n’ya ang gustong maging reaksyon ni L.

But he didn’t answer him. Nagulat pa ako nang tumingin s’ya sa akin.

“V, your father’s action triggered why the game became bloody. Are you sure that your father isn’t working with the gamemaster?” itinagilid n’ya ang ulo n’ya. “And you, as his daughter, are actually helping him.”

“What—” hindi ko natuloy ang reaksyon kong gulat nang magsalita s’ya ulit.

“Viper was sick before. He did evil things to Helios Gallagher and his family. He almost raped his wife and planned to kill the daughter. Magaling na ba talaga s’ya?”

“What?!” gulat kong sigaw. Halos lumuwa na nga ang mga mata ko sa sobrang gulat pero hindi n’ya ako pinansin at tumingin na kay Archer. Death’s hand hold mine trying to calm me down pero hindi ako makalma.

What the heck was that?! Is he really suspecting me, Kuya Vander and my father as the traitor?! Kuya Vander couldn’t defend himself now dahil naiwan s’ya sa living room as he mustn’t restrain his injured leg!

“Archer.” Tracer said. Napakunot ang noo ni Archer sa kanya. “You’re the most suspicious one here, not knowing who your real parents are. Are you an innocent just got caught up in the game when Leto took care of you? Or are you related to the gamemaster?”

“Anong—” si Archer na ilang beses bumuka ang bibig sa pagkabigla. Mukhang hindi alam ang sasabihin. “Tangina. Hunter!”

But Hunter just smirked and looked at Plutus instead. Plutus seemed like he was expecting it. He raised an eyebrow at Tracer like he’s waiting for what he’s going to say.

“Eresh was from the Red Faction. The Queen of the Red Faction. Are you all sure that she really turned her back to the group to help us? Or is she just spying us?” Tracer stared at Plutus. “And you, Plutus, are actually helping her seeing that you like her so much.”

I heard Plutus chuckled. Napailing s’ya na parang hindi makapaniwala sa sinabi ni Tracer. He didn’t say anything and just puffed on his vape.

Vanilla scent filled the room but my focus was on Tracer. On what he’s trying to do.

He’s trying to tell us that we are all have reasons to betray the group. Na hindi lang s’ya ang dapat na pagsuspetsahan. I guess this was his way of revenge to us for accusing him as the traitor

No… This will just break the group even more.

I heard his footsteps. Pinanood ko lang s’yang maglakad hanggang sa tumigil s’ya sa harapan ni Fourth. They stared at each other. Nagpapatigasan ng tingin.

“And, Fourth.” Tracer said after awhile of silence. “It’s clear to me how much you love Eresh. I could tell that you are willing to do anything for her… Even betraying the EL Ordre.”

Fourth didn’t say anything. His sea-green eyes just keep on staring at Tracer.

Tracer smirked. “If Eresh was just spying on us, I’m sure that you will even help her… Right?”

Fourth remained silent. Nakatitig lang s’ya kay Tracer na inaabangan ang sagot n’ya. And there’s something in his eyes that I couldn’t read. Something I wouldn’t even want to know.

Fourth was still mysterious to me. Kahit na marami akong nalaman a tungkol sa kanya simula nang makilala ko si Eresh ay alam kong marami pa rin akong hindi alam sa kanya.

He’s cunning. But that was one of the reasons why he was a good leader of the EL Ordre.

Halos mapasinghap ako nang makita ko ang unti-unting pagngisi ni Fourth. That wasn’t the reaction that I was expecting from him. I thought that he’ll try to defend himself and Eresh. Hindi ganitong ngingisi s’ya!

Nagtayuan yata ang lahat ng mga balahibo ko sa katawan nang makita ko ang pamilyar na ngisi na iyon. That smirk that tells me there’s something in him. That he’s planning something. That he’s a dangerous man!

“Indeed, Tracer. You are right. I will do everything and anything for Eresh.” he said with a thick British accent.

I heard Plutus chuckled but he didn’t say anything. He just puffed on his vape with a crooked smile on his lips.

Fourth’s sea-green eyes looked evil now. He played on his lips using his fingers. At habang nakatitig ako sa kanya ay mas nadagdagan pa ang takot at kaba ko.

He put his hand down that was playing on his lips. He smirked menangcily as he stared at Tracer.

“Perhaps, Eresh was really spying on us. Perhaps, I am helping her. Or perhaps… I am the traitor of EL Ordre.”

Chapter 40

Fourth and Tracer just kept on staring at each other. The atmosphere was so heavy I couldn’t even breathe properly as I stared at the two men. Idagdag pa ang sinabi lang kanina ni Fourth.

It was like he was already admitting that he’s really the traitor of the EL Ordre. If Tracer’s claim was right, that Eresh just joined us because she was also spying us and eventually will go back to the Red Faction, then it’s not impossible that Fourth will help her since it’s obvious that he loves her so much.

He’s willing to do everything for her. For their child. Na anumang plano ni Eresh ay nakahanda s’yang tumulong.

And if it’s true, I don’t know if we could win against them. Eresh and Fourth were both genius. Napaniwala nga kami ni Fourth na s’ya ang totoong King ng EL Ordre without using so much effort in pretending. He’s a natural. He’s born royalty and a genius. Kaya hindi s’ya nahirapang gawin iyon.

Thinking that him and Eresh will join force against the EL Ordre, mahihirapan kaming talunin sila.

Kay Eresh nga lang ay nahirapan na kami, paano pa kapag tinulungan s’ya ni Fourth.

Merda! I knew it! What Tracer did just broke the group even more! I’m sure na mas lalo lang nawala ang tiwala namin sa isa’t-isa!

I saw Tracer’s lips formed into a smirk. His gray eyes told me that there’s something more myterious than the smirk that’s on his face now. And I hate it everytime Tracer’s showing that smirk. Kung ayoko noon, mas lalo naman ngayon. ’Cause it just feels that he’s really hiding something.

He chuckled softly before he turned his back at Fourth. Ngayon ay nakaharap na s’ya kina Plutus. He walked towards Aius and the King seemed to be studying his friend. His black eyes was staring at him intently, trying to know what’ he’s gonna do.

Tumigil si Tracer sa harapan ni Auis. He didn’t say anything. Nakatingin lang s’ya sa King ng EL Ordre na may blankong mga mata.

Then suddenly, he smirked again. The kind of smirk that sent chills down my spine.

“If you get killed, then the game will finally end.” he said. “It’ll be the Red Faction’s win and the EL Ordre will lose.”

Napaawang ang mga labi ko. Bigla kasi akong kinabahan sa sinabi n’ya na parang may iba pa s’yang pakahulugan doon. Mas lalo na noong kumilos s’ya at may kung anong inabot mula sa likuran ng pantalon n’ya. When he finally took it out, I gasped loudly.

It was his gun.

Hindi ako makagalaw habang pinapanood si Tracer na nilalagyan iyon ng bala. The room fell quiet. So quiet that I could almost here the flow of my blood throughout my entire body. Ganoon ako kakaba ngayon. At feeling ko, hindi lang ako ang nakakaramdam nito ngayon.

Ikinasa ni Tracer ang baril. Tinitigan n’ya muna iyon bago itinutok ang dulo sa ulo ni Aius. Hindi ko na napigilan ang mapatakip ng bibig sa sobrang pagkabigla.

All of us were surprised by Tracer’s sudden move. Walang nakagalaw. Ni wala man lang sumubok na agawin ang baril mula kay Tracer. O kahit ang pigilan man lang s’ya. Everyone seemed like they’ve just lost their voice right now.

No. Mali. Hindi pala lahat. ’Cause as I looked at Fourth beside me, it seems like he was actually enjoying what’s happening right now based on the amusement in his eyes.

Wala sa sariling napakapit ako sa braso ni Death.

I just realized that even though we’ve been doing our missions together, together with the EL Ordre, making plans, teaming up, helping in other and fighting the Red Faction. Even with all of that, I still don’t fully know them. At alam kong kaya nilang gawin ang isang bagay na hindi ko kailanman aasahan.

Even betraying the EL Ordre.

“F-fucker…” si Archer na unang nakabawi sa aming lahat. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

Tracer just glanced at him bago muling tumingin kay Aius at mas idinikit ang baril sa ulo n’ya.

“Tracer—” Death started to say but he was cut off when Tracer spoke again.

“If I kill you right now, then the Red Faction will win.”

“Tangina, ano bang sinasabi mo?” si Plutus na hindi na nakapagpigil. “Ibaba mo nga ’yang baril mo!”

Tracer didn’t move kaya humakbang si Plutus palapit sa kanya pero napatigil din nang idiniin pa ang baril sa ulo ni Aius. Bahagyang napaatras ang ulo ng King sa ginawa n’yang iyon pero hindi naman natinag sa kinatatayuan.

Aius seemed unaffected instead. Wala akong nakikitang takot sa mga mata n’ya kahit na may nakatutok na baril sa ulo n’ya. Na isang maling galaw lang ni Tracer ay bubulagta s’yang nagkalat ang utak sa sahig.

We all saw it. Tracer loaded his gun with bullets. Ikinasa n’ya pa iyon bago itinutok kay Aius. If he accidentally pulls the trigger… It’ll be the end of Aius.

Ramdam na ramdam ko ang kabog ng dibdib ko. Hindi ako makagalaw. I wanted to take the gun away from Tracer’s hand but I know that it’ll be more dangerous. Hindi ko alam ang gagawin ko habang nakatitig na lang sa pangyayari sa harapan ko.

Merda . I never even thought that this day would come.

“If I kill you, then the EL Ordre will lose.” sabi pa ni Tracer.

Auis just stared at his friend. Parang binabasa ang kung anong nasa isip n’ya. Maya-maya ay bumuntong-hininga.

“I trust you, Hunter.” he said so surely. “I trust you with my life.”

Wow… That takes a lot of trust in him. Lumaki akong walang pinagkakatiwalaan na kahit na sino because of the environment that I was in. Maging si Death ay pinaghinalaan ko din noong una kaming nagkita. I even threw the menudo that he cooked for me.

When I started trusting the people around me, that’s when Violet proved that I was wrong. That the only one I was supposed to trust was myself. As she betrayed me as well.

Pero si Aius, kahit na hawak ng kaibigan n’ya ang baril at nakatutok sa ulo n’ya, he still trusts him.

I just want a friendship like that.

“Kaya kitang patayin ngayon.” sabi pa ni Tracer.

“I know.” Aius said. “But I believe that you won’t do it.”

Nagtititigan ang dalawa. Parehas na naghahamon ang mga mata. Aius was defenseless while Tracer was armed. Pero wala sa itsura ni Aius na lalabanan n’ya ang kaibigan n’ya.

Suddenly, Tracer chuckled. Iyong pagtawa na pinaghalong tuwa at pagkamangha. Maya-maya ay ibinaba n’ya ang baril n’ya. He unloaded it and that’s the only time that I managed to breathe properly. Hindi ko napansin na kanina ko pa pala pinipigilan ang paghinga ko.

“Fucker.” nakangising sabi ni Tracer. “Among all of us, ikaw lang ang hindi pwedeng paniwalaan na magta-traydor sa grupo. You’re the King. If you got killed, then this team will lose.”

“And I also believe that none of us is betraying the group.” Aius said. “We all got reason to betray the EL Ordre pero mas malakas ang pinanghahawakan ng bawat isa na manalo ang team na ’to sa grupo.”

Ah… And I think that’s what everyone of us have forgotten. Because we’re too busy suspecting each other, nakalimutan namin ang mga kabutihang ginawa ng bawat isa para sa team. We forgot the reason, for each of us, on why we still keep on fighting. On why we wanted to win the game. Natabunan iyon ng paghihinala namin sa bawat isa.

I couldn’t help but to smile. Aius really deserves to be called as a King. He managed to put the trust back in the group using only those words. His words were powerful.

“Son of a bitch, Hunter! Pinakaba mo ko!” inis na sabi ni Archer na pabirong sinuntok pa ang braso ni Tracer.

Tracer smirked at him. “You couldn’t even tell that I was just acting? Magaling ka lang sa pagiging sugar daddy.”

“Fuck you!” Archer cursed.

Tracer chuckled. “Fuck you too, fucker.”

“Do you really know where the Red Faction’s new hideout is?” L asked. Napatingin si Tracer sa kanya. Nawala ang ngiti sa mga labi bago tumango.

“Yeah.”

L looked at Aius. “What’s the plan?”

“Wala ba munang papansin dito?” pagsingit ni Plutus na itinuro ang lalaki sa sahig na wala nang buhay.

“Tell Hoax to clean that up.” Death said beside me. Plutus nodded. Mukhang nakuntento na sa sagot na nakuha.

“Ano nang plano?” L asked again.

“Let’s go to the living room first.”

We all agreed on that. Afterall, naiwan doon sina Kuya Vander at Hoax dahil hindi pa galing ang binti ni Kuya Vander na tinamaan ng bala. And Hoax was keeping an eye on them and Ishtar in case something would happen.

We filled the two in with what happened at the training room. Mukhang sila din ay nanghinayang na may nasayang na namang buhay ng inosente. But Tracer did it as the man was messing with our brains. He was just an innocent, a casualty in a game yet he managed to shook our minds with that negative thoughts.

I guess that the gamemaster was filling them in with the details of the game. Maybe so the goons could fight us better this time? Ni hindi na ako magtataka kung pati ang mga galaw namin sa pakikipaglaban ay ipinaaral n’ya sa mga iyon.

“Tracer already found out where the enemy hideout is.” said Aius. Nandoon ulit s’ya sa harapan, nakatayo at nagpapaliwanag sa amin. “According to L, it was an abandoned building in the middle of an abandoned lot. Walang malapit na kabahayan. We figured that it might be a factory before.”

“Mukhang wala nang budget ang gobyerno para sa kanila, ah?” Archer said.

“No. I don’t think that the government even knew about the game.” Fourth said. “I think that the gamemaster kept it as a secret from them.”

“If the gamemaster is really someone from the government, then he has the power to do that.” Aius seconded. “He could make them believe that there’s nothing wrong going on with the group.”

“Afterall, he’s our only way to communicate with the government.” muling sabi ni Fourth at napanganga na lang ako.

Merda … Paano nila naisip iyon? Matagal na ba nilang inisip ang ideyang ’yon?

“Don’t you think we should just tell it to the government?” Hoax innocently asked. Umiling si Aius.

“No.” he said. “Huwag na natin silang idamay. Mas lalong gugulo. Baka marami na namang inosenteng buhay ang mawala.”

Hoax looked at Archer who’s beside him. Clearly didn’t understand what Aius had said. Archer translated everything for him.

“So what’s the plan?” ulit ni L sa pangatlong pagkakataon sa araw na iyon.

Aius sighed. “Is there anyone here who knows anything, even a little, about the gamemaster?” he asked.

Walang nagsalita. Aius waited for awhile, looking at everyone before he sighed.

“I don’t think we’ll make any progress kung susubukan nating kilalanin ang gamemaster at hanapan s’ya ng butas.” I said.

“The best thing we should do is to infiltrate the place, take the hostages and ask Shielder what he knew about the gamemaster.” si Plutus na mukhang kalmado ngayon.

“Don’t you want to kill him?”

Mabilis akong napatingin kay Hoax. Hindi makapaniwalang nakapagsalita s’ya ng ganoon. Kahit si Death ay mukhang nabigla din sa itinanong ng step-brother nya.

But looking at Hoax, it looked like he just asked that out of curiosity.

“No, Hoax.” Aius answered. “We will keep the blood off our hands this time. Let’s not waste any more lives.”

Hoax just shrugged his shoulders and leaned his back on the sofa where he was sitting. Napatingin ako kay Aius sa harapan na mukhang seryoso at nag-iisip ng susunod na sasabihin.

“We will put the gamemaster behind the bars.” he said. “Easy death is not enough for him. Kailangan n’yang pagdusahan at pagbayaran ang ginawa n’yang paglalaro sa mga buhay natin.”

And I agree on that. We’re now at the endgame. Nagsimula ang larong ito sa hindi patas na paraan. He played with our lives when we were just trying to help the government. Maraming buhay ang nawala. Marami ang nadamay. And he must pay for that in a right way.

We will let the law handle him.

“Rest, EL Ordre.” said Aius after we’ve finally come up with our plan. “We have a long day tomorrow.”

Tomorrow. We decided to infiltrate the enemy’s place tomorrow. After that, will we finally have the peace and normal life we’ve longed for ever since?

I am excited but nervous at the new life that’s waiting for me. I grew up being different from normal. Iba ang way ng pagpapalaki sa akin ng Papá. Iba ang kinagisnan ko. And I don’t know if I’ll do good with this new life ahead.

Tomorrow is the endgame.

“Death…” I mumbled. “Are you nervous for tomorrow?”

Nakahiga na kami ngayon dito sa loob ng kwarto namin at handa nang matulog. We should be resting so we’ll have strength for what’s coming tomorrow. Ito na lang din ang matinong pahinga na nagkaroon kami dahil sa mga nagdaang araw but how strange na hindi man lang kami dalawin ng antok.

“Yes.” deretsong sabi ni Death.

“Mas lalo tuloy akong natakot.” bulong ko pero narinig n’ya dahil tumawa s’ya. I was using his chest as a pillow anyway.

“It’s normal to get scared and nervous, Vexen.” he said. “We’re humans. Isa pa, hindi tayo matatawag na matapang kung hindi muna natin haharapin ang mga kinatatakutan natin.”

I sighed and planted a kiss on his bare chest. I’m glad that Death was here beside me. I don’t know. Knowing that the endgame is finally coming, mas nanaig ang takot ko ngayon.

I was the best Pawn of the EL Ordre, but before that, I am a human first. And right now, I am a mother and a wife, hoping to have a peaceful life in the future with my family.

Sa kalagitnaan nang gabi ay nagising ako nang makaramdam ng sobrang pagkauhaw. I could ignore that and just continue sleeping dahil tinatamad na din naman akong bumangon kapag ganoon but it’s odd dahil nagkaroon ako ng sipag para kumuha ng tubig.

Death was fast asleep kaya maingat akong umalis sa kama. It’s good that I’ve learned stealth walking for times like this dahil nakalabas ako ng kwarto nang hindi nagigising si Death.

I was supposed to go down and get water to drink, pagkatapos ay aakyat ulit para bumalik ng kwarto at ituloy ang pagtulog. But that didn’t happen. Dahil susubukan ko pa lang bumaba ng hagdan when I heard someone talking from one of the rooms.

I stopped. I told myself not to mind about it dahil hindi naman imposibleng may gising pa nang ganoong oras at nag-uusap. It could be someone planning on what to do for the endgame but there might really be something in me that night. Dahil imbes na bumaba ay sinundan ko kung saan ang pinanggagalingan ng boses na iyon.

It was coming from Ishtar’s room.

Hahayaan ko na sana, thinking that it was Hoax inside her room at nag-uusap sila pero narinig ko ang boses ng kung sino mang kausap nya. My heart hammered, nanlaki yata ang ulo ko sa kaba nang mabosesan kung sino iyon.

Without thinking, I turned the doorknob. It wasn’t locked kaya nagawa kong buksan ang pinto. Ishtar was facing my back, kaharap n’ya ang kausap n’ya kaya natatakluban n’ya iyon sa paningin ko.

“Ishtar?” I softly called her name. I noticed that her body tensed before she finally looked my way.

Pero ang mga mata ko ay nanatili sa kausap n’ya. My lips parted out of shock when I’ve finally confirmed who it was.

She has a different eye color from the last time I saw her. And right then, I realized that she was just using contact lens before.

Staring at her eyes with beautiful color, I remembered what Shielder said when he first introduced her to us.

“She’s Violet! Our newly recruit Pawn!”

I chuckled with my realization. Shielder knew her true eye color. And it was also him who gave her the codename.

“Vio…let.” I mumbled. Hindi s’ya nagsalita at nakatitig lang sa akin.

No… She’s Yucca.

Napatingin ako kay Ishtar. May namumuong galit na sa loob ko.

“You’re the traitor?”

How? I mean, she can’t even fight! Paano n’ya nagawang papasukin dito si Ishtar nang hindi man lang naaalerto sina Tracer at L?!

Walang nagsalita sa kanila. Nanatili lang ang tingin sa akin at ganoon din ako sa kanila. So I noticed when Ishtar’s gaze turned at my back. I felt the chill down my spine at bago pa ako makalingon, I felt the person hit a part of my neck.

It was a move that will make anyone go unconscious. But before I lost my consciousness, I heard the person spoke.

“I’m sorry, Vexen.”

Chapter 41

I was feeling dizzy. I tried to move but immediately felt the pain on my neck. I groaned and tried to reach for that part when I realized that both of my hands were restrained. Napatigil ako at pinakiramdaman ang paligid nang hindi iminumulat ang mga mata.

I was sitting on a wooden chair. My hands were tied on my back. Sinubukan ko ding igalaw ang mga paa ko at maging iyon ay nakatali din. It was so tight. Na mukhang ang nagtali sa akin ay wala na talagang balak na pakawalan ako.

I tried to remember what happened. I saw Ishtar talking with someone inside her room and it turned out that it was Yucca. A traitor talking with a traitor. At mukhang hindi lang iisa ang traydor sa EL Ordre. As someone striked me on the back of my neck that rendered me unconscious.

I don’t know how long I was out. One thing I know, I am not at the EL Ordre’s hideout anymore. The place has a different smell and aura compared to our hideout. At kahit na hindi ko imulat ang mga mata ko ay alam kong nasa ibang lugar ako ngayon.

Maybe… I’m in the Red Faction’s hideout.

Merda … I don’t know what’s waiting for me if I open my eyes.

I stilled when I heard a footsteps outside and the next thing I heard was someone opened the door to where I am. Kasunod noon ang mga boses na mukhang nagtatalo-talo pa ang mga nagmamay-ari noon.

“See?” boses ni Ishtar ang narinig ko.

“We’re not joking.” it was Yucca and I assumed they were talking to someone. I don’t have any idea who.

“I could see that.”

I stiffened when I heard that new voice. Ito siguro ang kausap ng dalawa traydor and this person must’ve not believe them when they told the person that I was here. Base sa narinig kong pagtatalo nila sa labas bago pa pumasok sa kwartong ’to.

“You really brought her here?” the person said. At base sa boses n’ya ay mukhang hindi n’ya nagustuhan ang pagdadala ng dalawa dito sa kung nasaan man ako. “You should’ve killed her instead!”

I shivered when I heard those words. Biglang bumundol ang kaba sa dibdib ko at natakot para sa kaligtasan ko.

Merda! I am not safe here! I must do something to escape!

That person planned to kill me. At kung hindi siguro sina Yucca at Ishtar ang naabutan ko kundi itong taong ’to, I was sure na hindi s’ya magdadalawang isip na patayin ako just so they could keep their secrets.

It wasn’t only Ishtar, it wasn’t only the one who hit the back of my neck. This person was a traitor as well.

Merda!

Kilalang-kilala ko ang boses n’ya para hindi ko makilala. We’ve already talked several times. And I just couldn’t believe that all along, this person was just like Yucca. Na nagpapanggap lang para mag-espiya sa EL Ordre.

I tried to control my breathing so that they wouldn’t notice that I’m already awake. It’s too dangerous for me. Lalo pa at dalawang buhay ang nasa akin ngayon.

My baby…

“Should I always be the one who should think for this group?!” the person said. Halata ang sobrang pagkainis sa boses.

Yucca and Ishtar didn’t say anything. Tahimik lang sila at hindi sinasabayan ang inis noong isa. Of course… They knew better than that.

“Use your brain even for once! Stupid idiots!”

I heard the door opened and closed again after that. Seems like the person walked away when it couldn’t take Yucca and Ishtar’s stupidity anymore just because they brought me here. Mukhang hindi n’ya talaga nagustuhan ang ginawa nilang iyon.

The room fell silent but I still didn’t move. I could still feel Yucca and Ishtar’s presence inside and I have no idea what they’re doing.

I tried to move my hands, trying to break free pero masyadong mahigpit ang pagkakatali sa pulsuhan ko. I know that the tie will leave a mark after this.

“Shut up.” I heard Ishtar said after awhile that made Yucca chuckled.

“I’m not saying anything.”

“Well, now you do.” inis na sabi ni Ishtar.

Yucca chuckled again. “V’s already awake.”

Napatigil ako sa pagtatangkang alisin ang pagkakatali sa mga kamay ko. I cursed. Merda! I forgot that Violet was sharp. I don’t have any idea if she had any hard training under the Red Faction but whenever we do missions, na bilang lang sa mga daliri kung ilang beses, pansin ko nang magaling din s’ya sa pakikipaglaban.

I thought that she just likes to work alone. Iyon pala ay kapag sinasabi nya sa aming kailangan n’yang gawin ang misyon nang mag-isa, she would only went to the hideout of the Red Faction to give them an update on what we’re doing.

I almost chuckled at that thought. Hindi na ako magtataka kung isang araw ay mabigyan s’ya ng parangal dahil sa galing n’yang umarte!

Without a choice, I opened my eyes. Nakita ko ang dalawang traydor na nakatayo sa harapan ko, looking down at me. I showed them my smirk.

“The two traitors of EL Ordre.” I said, full of sarcasm.

Pareho silang nakatingin sa akin but my eyes remained at Yucca, or Violet as I’ve known her before. Her amethyst eyes were just looking down at me, with no emotion on her face. It was like she was just looking at some stranger in front of her.

“I treated you as my friend, you know.” dinig ko ang pait sa boses ko habang sinasabi iyon kay Yucca. “We treated you as a family.”

I remembered those times. She was a party girl. At kapag may mission kami na kailangan pumunta sa bar ay hindi n’ya nakakalimutan ang magsaya kahit sandali. While I will watch her surroundings for her. And just with that, I thought that she already trusted me.

Kasi hinayaan n’ya akong bantayan ang paligid n’ya laban sa kalaban para sa kanya. Ang akala ko ay ganoon n’ya lang talaga ako pinagkakatiwalaan. But looking back, it seems like it was one of her tactics too.

Yucca didn’t say anything. Her stares just remained on me. Wala akong makitang emosyon sa mga mata n’ya. And looking at her, I couldn’t see my friend Violet in her.

Those times we’ve been together were just fake.

“Why did you do it, Violet?” tanong kong pinipigilan ang pagiging emosyonal.

Ilang segundo pa s’yang tumitig sa akin bago s’ya tumingin kay Ishtar.

“I hate dramas.” she said. “I’m out.”

“What? You’re just gonna leave me here?” Ishtar asked when Yucca started to walk towards the door. She left the room without even looking back.

Hindi ko inalis ang tingin doon sa pinto kung saan lumabas si Yucca. I feel like the room wasn’t the only one that she did leave. It was also me. She willingly walked away not wanting to be a part of my life anymore.

I guess that answered my question. She didn’t really see me as a friend. Even for once.

’Cause if she did, if she really did treasured the EL Ordre like how we treasured her, not only as a member but also a family, then she wouldn’t do something like that to Shielder. It seems to me that she just joined the EL Ordre as a traitor so she could spy on us, and for Shielder. Para ’pag dumating ang tamang panahon, she could take him away from us and make him as the Red Faction’s King as per Eresh’s order.

To which she successfully did.

Alright, Yucca… I’m awake now. From now on, I will forget the memories we had. I will forget that you were once my friend. I will start treating you now as my enemy.

I looked at Ishtar. Mukhang hindi n’ya alam ang gagawin n’ya ngayong naiwan s’ya ditong kasama ako. Nakatingin lang din s’ya sa pintuan na parang umaasang babalik pa si Yucca.I almost smirked at that.

What kind of traitor is this? Masyadong takot.

“The useless Queen of EL Ordre.”

Napatingin s’ya sa akin dahil doon. She looked offended at first but when she realized that I could only attack her with words because of the situation that I was in, she smiled sweetly at me.

“I’m not useless anymore.” she said. “I’m helping the Red Faction.”

I chuckled. “At talagang proud ka pa sa katrayduran mo, huh?” I glared at her. “Wala ka ba talagang konsensya? Pinapatay mo na nga ang taong mahal ni Aius, and now you’re betraying the EL Ordre?”

It was her turn to chuckle.

“Why?” she asked with an innocent look on her face. “Kahit ano namang gawin ko, kahit bumawi ako, hindi na naman magbabago ang tingin n’yo sa akin, right? So why the heck would I help the team who only see me as an evil woman?”

“Which is true!” I glared at her. “Since when? Kailan mo pa tinatraydor ang EL Ordre?”

Natigilan s’ya. Halatang nag-iisip. And I just couldn’t believe that she had the guts to think on how long she’s been betraying the EL Ordre! Para pag-isipan n’ya ng ganito, it just means na matagal na!

“Hmm…” kumunot pa ang noo n’ya. Mas lalo lang nadadagdagan ang galit ko dahil sa inaakto n’ya ngayon. “I’ve lost track, eh. Basta matagal na. Even before L woke up from a coma.”

I glared at her. Kung nakamamatay lang ang tingin ay kanina pa s’ya nakabulagta sa harapan ko.

I could see red in front of me. Galit na galit ako. Ishtar was the EL Ordre’s Queen! Nakagawa na nga s’ya ng masama kay Aius but it seems like she’s not even sorry for it!

Halos manginig na ako sa sobrang galit. Ang mga kamay kong nakatali sa likuran ko ay nakakuyom na. My nails were digging on my palms but I was so livid with this bitch in front of me!

“Napaka-walang kwenta mong tao.” halos manginig na ako sa sobrang galit na sabi sa kanya.

Yet, this fucking bitch in front of me even dared to smile.

“Oh no, V. I have a use now. Sa Red Faction nga lang.”

Sinubukan kong alisin ulit ang pagkakatali sa mga kamay ko just so I could fucking punch her in the face, pull her hair and give her a hard slap. But this fucking tie was so tight! Naramdaman ko na nga ang hapdi sa pulsuhan ko sa pagsusubok kong tanggalin ang tali doon.

Ishtar seemed to enjoy my reaction. Tumawa pa s’ya!

“Worry about yourself, V.” she said. “You are here at the Red Faction’s hideout. Buntis ka pa naman.”

“Saan ka pupunta?” tanong ko dahil tumalikod na s’ya at naglakad palapit sa pinto.

She reached for the doorknob first before she looked back at me again. Still with that bitchy smile on her face.

“Back to the EL Ordre’s hideout. I will act as a useless Queen again while luring them to their deaths.”

That took my anger past the boiling point. Bago pa mabuksan ni Ishtar ang pinto ay sinubukan kong tumayo. It was hard with my feet tied up together but I did my best to move back and slammed the chair on the wall behind me.

Nagulat si Ishtar sa ginawa ko. An emotion passed across her eyes while she watched me slamming the chair using my body on the wall.

“V! You’re pregnant!” ang nagpa-panic n’yang sabi sa akin.

But I couldn’t fucking care! Hindi ako mananahimik lang ditong nakaupo at nakatali habang s’ya ay patuloy na tinatraydor ang EL Ordre!

Sa panglimang paghampas ng upuan sa pader ay nawasak iyon. I quickly sat on the ground at pinalusot ang mga paa ko sa kamay ko para mapunta iyon sa harapan. And even with my tied hands, I managed to loose the tie on my feet. Hindi ko magawang alisin ang tali ko sa kamay but this will fucking do.

Huli na nang ma-realize ni Ishtar ang nangyayari. I was already running towards her when she reached for the doorknob. At bago nya pa iyon mahawakan, I tackled her and slammed her on the wall.

“You, fucking bitch!” I screamed as I reached for her hair and pulled it hard. So hard na gusto ko nang ihiwalay ang buhok nya sa anit n’ya!

She screamed in pain. Hinawakan n’ya ang kamay ko at sinubukan tanggalin sa buhok n’ya. Nang hindi n’ya magawa ay kinalmot nya ang mga braso ko while trying to reach for my hair as well.

But it will take a lot of her before she could hurt me. Walang-wala ang hapdi nang pagkalmot n’ya at pagbaon ng mga kuko n’ya sa mga braso ko kumpara sa mga natamo kong suntok at sipa noon. This is totally nothing!

Nang ma-realize ni Ishtar na hindi gumagana ang ginagawa n’ya, she tried to knee me on my tummy. But I blocked her with my hands and gave her a slap on the face using both of my hands as it were tied together.

I was sure that it hurt dahil halos kasinglakas na iyon nang suntok ko. I used both of my hands when I slapped her. Napasubsob pa s’ya sa sahig.

She sobbed when she realized that her nose was bleeding. But I wasn’t finish yet. Gigil na gigil na talaga ako sa babaeng ’to dahil sobrang kapal ng mukha na magtraydor pa pagkatapos nang ginawa n’ya kay Angela!

So I pulled her hair again. Pinatayo ko s’ya habang higit-higit ang buhok n’ya. Wala s’yang magawa kundi ang sumunod.

I couldn’t stop the anger inside me. Habang mas nasasaktan ko si Ishtar ay mas lumalaki lang ang nararamdaman kong galit.

Hinigit ko ang buhok n’ya at pabalya s’yang inihampas sa pader. Napaigik s’ya sa sakit nang malakas na tumama doon ang katawan n’ya. Then I slapped her again using my tied hands at muli s’yang napasubsob sa sahig.

“This is so unfair!” iyak n’ya habang nasa sahig at nakatingala sa akin. “I don’t know how to fight unlike you!”

“But you know how to kill someone and betray the EL Ordre? Jokes on you, bitch!”

Napapikit na lang si Ishtar nang hihigitin ko na sana ulit ang buhok n’ya. But someone stopped my arm from doing so. Nilingon ko kung sino iyon at nanlaki ang mga mata sa gulat nang makilala.

He’s looking at me murderously before he let go of my arm and went near Ishtar to help her. Itinayo n’ya ang babae habang ako ay awang ang mga labi na nakatingin lang sa bagong dating.

My heart hammered against my chest. I couldn’t believe it. I thought that I was just hallucinating that time when I heard his voice before I lost consciousness when someone hit me on the neck. Ang akala ko ay hindi totoo na narinig ko s’ya. Pero ngayong nandito s’ya sa harapan ko, dito sa hideout ng Red Faction, mukhang s’ya nga ang taong iyon.

“She can’t fight you, V.” he said. “You know that.”

Ang gulat ay nawala sa akin dahil sa sinabi n’ya. Napalitan ng galit. I couldn’t believe that he’s siding up with that bitch! Alam n’ya ang kasalanang ginawa ni Ishtar!

“Pero nagawa n’yang magpapatay ng tao?” inis kong tanong.

“You know what I mean, V. You don’t need to hurt her as she couldn’t fight back!”

I chuckled. Maya-maya ay tinitigan ko na lang s’ya. My stare turned into a glare with every second passed.

“So you really are the traitor.” I said bitterly. “Tracer.”

Merda! I can’t fucking believe it! Nakonsensya pa ako nang paghinalaan ko s’ya but it turned out that my suspicion was right!

“Bakit, Tracer?” I asked. “I couldn’t believe that you could actually do something like this.”

He stared at me. His gray eyes looked so serious.

“I will do everything to get my brother back.”

I glared at him. Then I guess blood is really thicker than water. Handa s’yang traydurin ang mga kaibigan n’ya para sa kapatid n’ya.

I didn’t say anything and turned my back at him. “I’m going back to the hideout.”

“Who said that you can go back?”

Hindi ko pinahalatang natakot ako sa sinabing iyong ni Tracer. Nagawa n’ya ang isang bagay na akala ko ay hinding-hindi n’ya gagawin with all the reasons he has. So I guess that it’s not impossible that he’ll hurt me.

Nagpatuloy pa rin ako sa paglalakad papunta sa pinto. When I noticed Tracer’s presence behind me, mabilis akong lumingon at dinepensahan ang sarili ko.

I slapped his hand away and threw a punch on his face but he just easily dodged it. He threw a punch using his left hand to which I caught and that’s when I realized my mistake.

’Cause Tracer punched me on the jaw using his other hand.

And it was enough to render me unconscious. Again.

Chapter 42

I groaned in annoyance when I woke up for the second time since I’ve been in the Red Faction’s hideout. Hindi ko pa man nabubuksan ang mga mata ko ay kaagad ko nang naalala kung ano ang nangyari bago ako mawalan ng malay.

Tracer just fucking punched me in the jaw!

That fucking traitor. Did he already forget that I am pregnant? How could he even hurt me knowing that there’s another life growing inside of my tummy?!

I really didn’t want to suspect him. I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt but he hurt me! And fuck, dalawang beses n’ya na akong pinapatulog!

Merda!

And thinking back, I just realized that he didn’t really care if someone in the EL Ordre will get hurt just so he could take his brother back. Just like the trap that the Red Faction set for us lately. Dumating sina Shielder at Yucca sa hideout ng EL Ordre, armed with guns at may kasama pang mga goons habang ang mga naiwan sa hideout ay nabigla at hindi sila kayang kalabanin.

It was a good thing that Shielder only shot Kuya Vander on his leg but aside from that, wala nang mas malalang pinsala ang natamo ng grupo. He just wanted to take Alter so they could use her against us.

I opened my eyes when I heard noises inside the room where I was in. I was sitting on the floor, my hands were cuffed on the steel just above my head. I groaned. Mukhang mas mahihirapan akong makawala ngayon kumpara sa lubid na ipinangtali nila sa akin.

But that wasn’t the one that caught my attention. Inside the room were so many CCTV monitors that showed a different parts and rooms of the EL Ordre’s hideout. Napaawang na lang ang mga labi ko sa gulat nang ma-reliaze na nakikita pa rin ng gamemaster ang mga galaw namin.

Merda! Then even that planning that we’ve been doing? Ibig sabihin ay alam na ng gamemaster ang plano naming pagsugod dito!

But I thought L had already secured the CCTVs?

Ah… right. There’s still Tracer.

I stared at the monitor showing where the living room was. Nandoon ang lahat ng mga members ng EL Ordre except for Ishtar that was inside the room. I bet the EL Ordre thought that she never left her room. Nakatingin s’ya sa salamin ng kwarto n’ya, probably checking the wounds and bruises I’ve inflicted on her face.

Huh. Serves you right, bitch.

Bumalik ang tingin ko sa screen kung saan makikita ko ang ibang mga myembro. They looked dejected, sitting on wherever’s spot in the living room. Si Archer ay doon ulit sa baitang ng hagdan nakaupo, Plutus was standing in the corner leaning his back against the wall. Hoax and Kuya Vander were sitting beside each other. L was on his usual seat, looking at his laptop, ganoon din si Tracer. He pretended that he’s doing something while typing at his laptop.

Ishtar and Tracer were back at the hideout. Ibig sabihin ay matagal din akong nawalan ng malay.

Fourth was sitting on a one seater sofa, playing with his lips as he looked at the members one by one. Aius was standing on the front, staring at the glassboard but it’s obvious that his focus wasn’t on that. And Death…

My heart clenched when I saw Death with his slumped shoulders. Nakaupo s’ya, ang dalawang mga siko ay nakatukod sa tuhod n’ya at ang mga kamay ay nakasabunot sa buhok n’ya habang nakatungo ang ulo.

Oh, God… I’m sure that he’s dead worried about me right now. Lalo pa at buntis ako ngayon. 

Nakita kong marahas n’yang binitiwan ang buhok n’ya at tumingin kay Aius.

“We need to move fast! Fuck it!” dinig ko ang frustration sa boses n’ya.

“We’re not sure if the Red Faction really took V, Kier.” it was Hoax.

“The CCTV record got deleted from the moment V went out of the room.” Tracer said. Iniharap n’ya pa ang laptop sa kanila para ipakita ang punto n’ya.

I laughed with no emotion. Of course! He deleted it! Dahil kung hindi ay may ebidensya na talaga ang EL Ordre sa pagtatraydor n’ya!

“I couldn’t locate who did this.” si L na kunot na kunot ang noong nakatingin sa laptop n’ya. “I guess it’s Shielder? He really got a good hacking skills.”

“Then we can all pressume that it was really the Red Faction’s doing.” Fourth said pero ang mga mata ay abala pa rin sa pagtitig sa bawat isa hanggang sa tumigil iyon kay Tracer.

That’s it, Fourth…

“Kaya nga dapat kumilos na tayo.” pagpipilit ni Death na napatayo pa. I just wanted to cry while watching him. Halatang-halata ang pag-aalala sa kanya. And I know that the moment he realized I was gone, he planned to move alone. Na sigurado akong pinigilan lang ng ibang myembro.

Oh, Death… I am so sorry for always making you worry.

“Pero wala pa tayong plano.” it was Archer.

“Mauubos lang tayo kung mag-iisip na naman tayo ng panibagong plano!” Death said with his gritted teeth. “My wife is pregnant! Damn it!”

“I fully understand how you must feel, Kier.” Fourth said. “But you must calm down.”

Death stared at him. He must’ve realized that they were just the same. That Eresh is pregnant too and she’s also here at the hideout. At dahil doon ay sinubukang pakalmahin ni Death ang sarili n’ya kagaya ni Fourth.

But no… Him and Fourth weren’t the same. Eresh and I are not the same.

Fourth looked so calm. May alam kaya s’ya?

“But I agree with Kier.” dinig kong sabi ni Tracer. “We’re running out of time.”

“Oh…” Fourth muttered while staring at Tracer. “Is that so?”

Tracer looked back at him. They stared at each other. Fourth has an amused grin on his lips while Tracer was just looking at him seriously.

That’s it, Fourth! You’re smart! Sana ay mahalata mong traydor si Tracer!

“Bakit hindi na lang natin ituloy ang napagplanuhan?” Plutus asked. Kanina pa s’ya tahimik sa gilid at ngayon lang nagsalita. “That is more convenient than to think for a new one.”

“Yeah.” Hoax said. “Someone would just have to cover for V’s post.”

They all looked at Aius. Pinapaubaya sa kanya ang desisyon. And Aius seemed to thought carefully about their suggestion.

No! It’s a trap!

I don’t know what Tracer was planning but it’s obvious that he’s luring the EL Ordre to go here in the Red Faction’s hideout. Kung saan malakas ang kalaban. Kung saan nandito ang lahat ng pwede nilang gamitin. Kung saan kabisado nila ang lugar.

And the EL Ordre is at disadvantage.

Huwag kang papayag, Aius!

I tried to free myself from the handcuff that was restraining me. Pero para lang akong nag-iingay sa ginagawa ko dahil sa pagtama ng handcuff sa bakal. Itinigil ko iyon dahil hindi malabong may makarinig sa akin at mahalata pa ang pagtakas ko.

Merda! I don’t even have a hairpin with me or anything I could use to pick the lock of the cuff!

“Let’s proceed with our plan.”

Napatingin ako sa monitor nang marinig ang sinabing iyon ni Aius. No! Hindi dapat sila magpunta dito. This is surely a trap set for them!

Okay… I must calm down. I should think of a plan. But fuck! I was never good with thinking, more especially thinking of a plan!

Merda! Kung makipaglaban ako sa daan-daang mga kalaban ay mas malaki pa ang chance ko na makaligtas kaysa doon sa mag-iisip ako ng plano ko!

But fuck! I must stop them from getting in here! And I still have time!

Sinubukan ko ulit makawala sa pagkakaposas ng kamay ko but it was futile. I stared at my hands, thinking of the only solution that I have.

It’ll hurt. So much.

Napatingin ako sa CCTV monitors uli at nang makita na naghahanda na ang EL Ordre ay hindi na ako nagdalawang isip. I gritted my teeth to ready myself for the incoming pain. Huminga ako nang malalim at pikit-matang binali ang buto sa may thumb ko para magkasya ang kamay ko sa butas ng handcuff.

I almost screamed in pain pero pinigilan ko iyon para walang makarinig. My jaw hurts when I gritted my teeth so hard just to stop myself from making any sound because of pain. Sunod-sunod akong huminga nang malalim para makalma ang sarili ko.

Merda! Merda! Merda! Fuck, it hurts!

I helplessly looked around dahil hindi ko na makakaya kung babaliin ko pa ang buto ko sa kabilang kamay ko. I saw a wire na nakausli sa dulo ng steel bar kung saan ako nakaposas pero duda ako kung maaabot ko iyon.

Still, I tried to reach for it with my injured hand. Ininda ko ang sakit at pinilit na abutin ang alambre. Hirap na hirap ako sa pag-abot at nang mahawakan ko iyon ay hindi ko na binitiwan kahit pa sumusugat iyon sa balat ko plus the fact that my finger bone was broken. I tried to cut it by bending it sideways. Ilang minuto ang inabot ko bago maputol iyon.

I quickly picked the lock of the handcuff at agad naman iyon bumukas. I stood up and tore a piece of my shirt to use for my broken thumb.

Nang maayos ko na ang pagkakatali ng tela sa kamay ko ay pumunta na ako sa pinto. Sumandal ako sa likod noon at pinakiramdaman kung may kalaban sa labas. When I was finally sure that no enemy will welcome me from the outside, tahimik kong pinihit ang doorknob ng pinto at dahan-dahan iyon binuksan.

The hallway was quiet. Napansin ko ang mga sira sa pader at ang alikabok sa paligid. Halatang hindi na pinupuntahan ang lugar na ito. It was really an abandoned building.

But I’m sure that they have a computer room here. Kung saan nagagawa ni Shielder ang pangha-hack n’ya.

I went outside, making no sound with every step I take. Nang makakita ng kalaban na papalapit sa akin ay nagtago muna ako sa likod ng poste. He didn’t notice me as he was busy browsing through his phone while walking.

Nang tumapat na s’ya sa akin ay malakas kong siniko ang mukha n’ya. The enemy looked taken aback but still managed to reach for his gun at his back. Pero mabilis ko iyong sinipa palayo sa kanya at bago pa s’ya makagawa ng kahit na anong ingay, I chopped him on the part of his neck where it can make him go unconscious, Just like what Tracer did to me.

Merda! Hindi ko na yata makakalimutan ang ginawa n’yang iyon sa akin!

The enemy fell unconscious on the ground. Mabilis akong lumapit sa baril na nasa sahig at pinulot iyon. I checked the bullet at ikakasa ko na sana nang makarinig ako ng boses.

“V?”

I stilled. Hindi ko pa man nakikita ang tumawag sa akin ay kilalang-kilala ko na kung sino iyon. Itinuloy ko ang pagkasa sa baril bago humarap sa bagong dating.

I was hoping to see her looking like hell. Iyong may mga sugat sa katawan o tanda ng kung anumang ginawang pagpapahirap sa kanya. But no, she looked as beautiful as ever. She’s even glowing. I guess hiyang n’ya ang pagbubuntis.

“Eresh…”

She took a step towards me but I took a step back. Natigilan s’ya at napatingin sa lalaking nakahandusay hindi kalayuan sa akin.

“What…” tumingin s’ya sa akin. “Are you okay? Are you hurt—”

“Don’t come near me!”

Nanlaki ang mga mata n’ya nang itinutok ko sa kanya ang baril. “V?!” she looked really surprised but I knew better than to believe her. “Oh my God! Did they drug you?”

Muntik na akong matawa sa sinabi n’ya. What? Is she actually thinking that they did to me what she did to Shielder? Na papaniwalain ang mga kakampi n’ya na pinabayaan at kalaban n’ya?

“Stop pretending, Mad Queen!” I angrily said. “I was already awake earlier! At narinig ko ang sinabi mong sana ay pinatay na lang ako nina Yucca at Ishtar!”

It was clear to me that it was her voice. At hindi ko talaga mapaniwalaan ang sinabi n’ya. Ang akala ko ay si Tracer lang ang nag-traydor sa EL Ordre. It turned out that she’s a traitor as well.

No… Hindi s’ya nag-traydor. Dahil una pa lang ay nasa Red Faction na ang loyalty n’ya.

Maybe she still wanted to win this game to prove her worth. ’Cause that’s the only way she will feel at peace.

Eresh has a confused look on her face and I just couldn’t believe na hanggang ngayon ay nagpapanggap pa rin s’ya. Gayong sinabi ko nang nabuking ko na s’ya dahil sa sinabi n’ya.

Then, slowly… I saw her wicked smile.

“Too bad, V. I really have to kill you this time.”

Sumugod s’ya. I was holding a gun, loaded with a bullet pero hindi ko iyon ipinutok. Damn my emotional self dahil naisip ko ang bata sa tyan n’ya!

She kicked the gun away from my hand. It flew a few meters away from us. Nagpakawala s’ya ng suntok na agad kong sinalag bago bumawi at sumuntok din.

But she blocked it. She caught my wrist and twisted it on my back. Sinubukan kong sikuhin s’ya habang nasa likod ko s’ya pero nahuli n’ya rin ang kaliwang pulsuhan ko. I used all my strength para umatras at maitulak s’ya. Wala s’yang nagawa kundi ang mapasunod sa pag-atras ko hanggang sa tumama ang likod n’ya sa posteng pinagtataguan ko kanina at napabitaw s’ya sa akin.

I quickly faced her to kick her pero mabilis s’yang nakalis sa pwesto n’ya kaya ang poste ang nasipa ko. She threw a punch that landed on my face. Hindi iyon kalakasan pero napaatras pa rin ako just to protect the baby in my tummy.

I got confused right after. I’ve fought with her before. She’s really good. Mas magaling pa sa akin sa pakikipaglaban. Pero bakit mahina ang mga suntok na pinapakawalan n’ya?

And it even looked like she’s restraining herself to use her full strength.

I heard a clap somewhere. Parehas kaming napalingon ni Eresh doon at nakita ang dalawang taong papalapit sa amin. I gasped when I realized who they were.

It was Shielder pointing a gun at me… And the gamemaster.

“Hanga talaga ako sa mga babaeng marunong makipaglaban.” sabi ng gamemaster habang patuloy pa rin sa pagpalakpak. He was wearing a white mask that covered his full face and a three piece white suit.

But his voice… He’s using his real voice and it was so familiar.

“You managed to get away twice now, V.” he said. “Mas tumaas ang respeto ko sa iyo.”

I gritted my teeth and glared at him. “Hindi ko kailangan ng respeto mo.”

He chuckled. “Alright. By the way, saan ka ba pupunta at mukhang nagmamadali ka?”

I balled my fist. Tinignan ko si Shielder na nasa tabi lang ng gamemaster. Tahimik at malamig ang mga mata habang nakatutok ang baril sa akin. He looked so different from the Shielder I knew.

I looked back at the gamemaster. “Babalik ako sa hideout. I will warn them not to continue their plan as you prepared another trap for them!”

Nakatakip man ang mukha n’ya pero ramdam ko ang pagngisi n’ya sa likod ng maskarang iyon. I shivered. Maya-maya ay narinig ko ang pagtawa n’ya.

“The video you saw isn’t live, Vexen.” he said. “Kanina pa papunta rito ang EL Ordre.”

Agad na bumundol ang kaba sa dibdib ko. No… Kahit pala makatakas ako ay hindi ko na sila mapipigilan? Sinadya ng gamemaster na makita ko ang nangyari kanina sa hideout para malaman ko na parating na dito ang EL Ordre? At mawalan ng pag-asang mapigilan sila?

I looked at Shielder and Eresh. Palipat-lipat ang tingin ko sa kanilang dalawa. Hoping for them to shoot the gamemaster dead. O basta matulungan lang nila ako para hindi na mapahamak ang EL Ordre.

But no. Si Shielder ay nanatili lang na nakatitig ng malamig sa akin. Handang kalabitin ang gatilyo ng baril na nakatutok sa akin kung sakaling may gawin akong hindi naaayon sa kanila. And Eresh just smiling sweetly at me with her arms crossed over her chest.

Napakunot noo ako nang may maalala.

Where’s Alter?

“They’re here.” dinig kong sabi ni Sheilder na nakahawak sa earpiece sa tenga n’ya.

The gamemaster seemed to smile at that. At mas lalo akong kinabahan nang mapagtanto kung sino ang tinutukoy ni Shielder.

The EL Ordre. They’re already here!

The gamemaster looked at Shielder. And I was so sure that he’s wearing a smirk on his face.

“Lock her up at the CCTV room. Siguraduhin mong hindi na talaga makakawala sa pagkakataong ’to.”

The gamemaster reached for his mask. Nang tanggalin n’ya iyon ay nanlaki ang mga mata ko nang makilala s’ya.

He smirked like he enjoyed my expression.

“I want you to watch how I kill the rest of your team.”

Chapter 43

Lumapit sa akin si Shielder nang nakatutok pa rin ang baril at itinulak nang bahagya ang balikat ko telling me to walk. I glared at him. Naisip kong kalabanin s’ya at agawin ang baril but there’s also Eresh who’s guarding me. Sigurado ako na bago pa ako makakilos ay naunahan na n’ya ako. She’s good at fighting as well. And I was more focusing on my defense instead of attacking as I was protecting the baby in my tummy as well.

Wala na akong nagawa kundi ang sundin ang gustong mangyari ni Shielder. I looked at the gamemaster first. He smirked at me before he put on his mask again and started walking away. I was glaring at his back, restraining myself from bashing his head on the concrete wall. Pero alam kong bago pa ako makalapit sa gamemaster ay napigilan na ako nina Eresh at Shielder. 

Napasulyap muna ako kay Shielder at nang makitang nakatitig s’ya sa akin ay nagsimula na akong maglakad. Sumunod sila ni Eresh sa akin.

We were silent and not even our footsteps could be heard. Perks of mastering on how to stealth walk. Kung hindi ko lang dinig ang pag-hum ni Eresh like she’s enjoying what’s happening ay aakalain ko na wala talaga akong kasunod.

I sighed and thought of another plan to escape. The best thing I could to do was to let them lock me up again instead of fighting with them. Dalawa sila, parehong magaling pang makipag-laban. One was armed with gun while the other was better than me in fighting. I’m at disadvantage especially that there’s a baby in my tummy that I have to protect.

Kaya naman hindi na ako nagreklamo nang muli nila akong ibinalik sa CCTV room. Shielder remained standing on the doorway and guarded me in case I planned to fight with Eresh while she’s tying me up. I glanced at the gun that he’s holding and realized that I really don’t stand a chance between these two.

Eresh took a rope and made me sit on the floor again that was near that steel bar kung saan rin ako ipinosas kanina. Hindi ako pumalag o kung ano at basta na lang s’yang sinusunod sa gusto n’yang mangyari. She took my hand and frowned when she saw the cloth that I tied with my injured hand. She removed it without any gentleness that I winced in pain nang masagi n’ya ang baling buto sa daliri ko.

Merda! It fucking hurts! Nawalan ng silbi ang ginawa kong pananakit sa sarili ko para lang makatakas gayong nahuli rin naman ako! Ni hindi man lang nga ako nakalayo!

I noticed Eresh stilled when she saw my reaction, wincing in pain. She took my injured hand. She stared at it and on the handcuffs that was on the floor before she looked back at my hands again. At nang mapansin n’yang namamaga na iyon ay napabuntong-hininga s’ya.

“Oh, no. V…” she muttered. Halos hindi na nga gumalaw ang bibig nang magsalita.

Still, she continued tying me up. Napapahigit na lang ako sa paghinga ko dahil sa sakit kapag hinihigpitan n’ya ang pagkakatali sa akin. I looked at Eresh and saw her face void with any emotion hanggang sa matapos n’ya ang ang pagtali sa akin.

Umayos s’ya nang tayo. Napasulyap ako kay Shielder na nasa may pintuan lang at nagbabantay na walang anumang emosyon ang mga mata. His gray eyes looked dangerous as he stared at my tied hands. Parang sinisigurado na hindi nga ako makakawala doon.

“Do not try to leave this room, V.” I looked back to Eresh again when she spoke. “Alter will be here to join you later.”

That surprised me. “Traydor din si Alter?” hindi makapaniwala kong tanong.

Eresh chuckled. She looked at me like I was some kind of a joke. The curl on her lips tells me that she thinks I’m stupid for being caught and thinking that everyone around me is a traitor.

“No, V. Alter is as innocent as a five year-old kid.” she smiled sweetly at me. Pero maya-maya ay biglang sumeryoso din ang tingin n’ya sa akin. So serious that I remember her being a merciless Mad Queen. “Do not leave this room. If I’ll ever see you or Alter outside this room, I’ll really have to kill you both.”

I glared at her. I really couldn’t believe her! EL Ordre accepted her even after all those horrible things that she did to us! To the Sanford brothers! I understand na hindi n’ya kasalanan iyong ibang ginawa ng mga kagrupo n’ya but still, she did a mistake and the EL Ordre still forgave her!

And now this? She’s betraying us? Dahil gusto n’yang manalo sa laro so she could finally have a place in this world? So she could finally prove to her father that she could win the game?

I really like her. I was happy to be her friend even with her sharp tongue.But I guess she’s just another Violet, huh?

“Alam ba ’to ni Fourth?” I asked. She just raised an eyebrow at me. “Itong ginagawa mong pagtatraydor sa grupo?”

She chuckled again. Nainis ako dahil wala namang nakakatawa sa mga sinasabi ko kanina pa.

“No.” she answered and smiled sweetly at me. “But I am sure that he will help me even if he knew.”

I smirked at her. “Couple goals, huh?”

Hindi na s’ya sumagot at ngumiti na lang nang matamis sa akin. I really hate that smile of hers. Like she’s enjoying that I’m going down today.

Tumalikod na s’ya at naglakad palapit kay Shielder who immediately put an arm around her waist. At bago pa sila lumabas ay muling lumingon sa akin si Eresh.

“Have fun watching, V.”

When they finally went out of the room, I wasted no time and tried to free from the restrain on my hands. Pero masyadong mahigpit ang pagkakatali ni Eresh na halos hindi ko na maigalaw ang mga kamay ko. Plus the fact that I need to enjure the pain of my injured hand.

No… I must escape. The others are already here. I need to warn them that this is just another trap set by the traitors!

I tried to move my hands again pero mukhang imposible na yatang makawala ako sa pagkakatali ko. Kinagat ko pa ang tali pero masyadong makapal iyon at mukhang bukas pa ako aabutin kung ganoon ang gagawin ko.

Merda! What should I do?

Napatingin ako sa mga monitors nang mapansin ang paggalaw doon. I gasped when I saw Plutus in one of the monitors. Even with a black mask that was covering half of his face, I could recognize each one of them. Dahil na rin siguro sa tagal nang pagsasama namin para matapos ang pesteng laro na ’to.

Unti-unting nagpakita ang iba pang mga myembro ng EL Ordre. Plutus was with Hoax on the first floor. Habang nakita kong paakyat naman si Fourth sa ikalawang palapag nang mag-isa. Tracer and L were going to the third floor while Aius and Death were proceeding to the fourth floor. And I bet Archer was probably somewhere again with his sniper. And Kuya Vander must be on the vehicle they’ve used, ready for an escape plan since he couldn’t fight with an injured leg.

I don’t know how many floors this building has. I don’t even know which floor I’m in. But I am hoping, kahit isa man lang sa kanila ang makakita kung nasaan ako. Isa lang and I will be able to tell them about this trap through the earpiece.

Napabalik ang tingin ko sa monitor kung nasaan sina L at Tracer. The two trackers of the EL Ordre. Sa tingin ko ay plano ni Tracer na unahin si L. As he can find ways to contact the others given with the skills that he has.

Sinubukan kong makawala ulit but my hands wouldn’t even budge. Napasinghap ako nang maramdaman ang sakit dahil sa pagpupumilit kong igalaw ang kamay kong namamaga.

I am so worried for L! Nauuna s’yang maglakad at nasa likod n’ya lang si Tracer. And looking at them, I realized that L decided to trust Tracer again. Pero ang pagtitiwalang iyon ay muli na namang mawawasak.

Fuck you, Tracer! They’re your team! Don’t you ever hurt them!

Kabang-kaba ako habang pinapanood si Tracer na nakasunod lang sa likod ni L. L was on his guard, nakahanda sa magpapakitang kalaban without knowing that the enemy was already behind him.

At nang makakita ng pagkakataon, hinampas ni Tracer ang likod ng ulo ni L gamit ang baril n’ya. I almost cried when I saw what just happend. Nabuwal si L at napahiga sa sahig. Nabitawan n’ya ang baril n’ya. He moved to reach for it but before he could do it, Tracer kicked the gun away from him. Mabilis s’yang pumaibabaw kay L at inalis ang earpiece sa tenga ni L pati na rin ang mask na tumatakip sa kalahati ng mukha n’ya. Tracer removed his mask as well.

“ Vaffanculo , Tracer! Fuck you!“ sigaw ko na parang maririnig n’ya ako.

I saw him punched L on the face. Tuluyan na akong napaiyak. L looked taken aback that Tracer could actually hurt him. Kung dahil ba sa pagkabigla o ayaw n’ya lang saktan si Tracer kaya hindi s’ya lumalaban ay hindi ko alam.

Nang masigurong hindi na nga makakalaban pa si L ay pilit iyong pinatayo ni Tracer. Pumwesto s’ya sa likod ni L at itinutok sa baril sa likod ng ulo noon.

“Walk, L.” I heard Tracer said. “Don’t even try to put up a fight if you want to save your life and Alter’s.”

Hindi nagsalita si L pero nakita ko ang pagngisi n’ya. He started walking while Tracer’s giving instructions to where he should go. Sinundan ko sila hanggang sa makita kong may isang parang kulungan doon. The locked were secured with modern technologies that I’m sure it’ll be hard for them to unlock.

I chuckled. Looks like this building was not just an abandoned building afterall.

“Don’t try to escape, L. Alter is still in danger.” Tracer warned him using Alter’s life dahil alam n’yang wala nang magagawa si L kapag ang babae ang involve.

L smirked at him. Pero nakikita ko ang galit n’ya sa pagngising iyon.

“I will fucking kill you for this, Tracer.” L said with a gritted teeth but Tracer smirked at him. His gray eyes looked so dangerous just like Shielder’s.

“It’ll be my pleasure.”

I gritted my teeth and tried to free myself again. The anger in me is too much at kahit na masakit ang namamaga kong kamay ay hindi ako tumigil sa tangkang pag-alis ng pagkakatali ng kamay ko. I was sweating bullets because of pain at nang maramdaman kong sandaling umikot ang paningin ko dahil sa sakit ay tumigil muna ako.

Merda! Merda! Merda! This isn’t the time to be weak!

“We need a fucking back up.”

Napatingin ako sa mga monitors ulit lalo na nang makarinig ng mga putok ng baril. I tried to find where it was coming from and I saw Plutus hiding on one of the pillars. His hand on his earpiece while fighting with the goons.

What? He could take care of them even without any help! I know that Plutus is the best with his fighting skills too!

“Tracer!” he said. “Shielder is here.”

I squinted my eyes and there, I saw Shielder walking towards to where Plutus is with a gun on his hand. Hoax tried to shoot him but missed. Pinaputukan ni Shielder si Hoax na agad din namang nakapagtago sa isa sa mga poste doon.

“Tangina, Tracer, bilisan mo!” Plutus said irritably as Shielder tried to shoot him behind the pillar. “Babarilin ko na talaga ’tong kapatid mo!”

“Hurt him at ako mismo ang papatay sa’yo.” Tracer warned as he ran down the stairs.

No! Mas mapapahamak kayo kung nandyan si Tracer! Merda!

Sinubukan kong kagatin ulit ang tali sa kamay ko pero matatanggal na lang ang ngipin ko ay hindi ko man lang iyon na naluwagan. I screamed when I finally felt so helpless!

Fuck!

Napatingin ulit ako sa isa sa mga monitors nang makita si Kuya Vander. Eresh was pointing a gun at him as she put Kuya Vander inside the cellar to where L is. She smiled sweetly at them and ran off somewhere. Pumalit ang mga goons sa pagbabantay sa kulungang iyon.

Fuck! Of course Kuya Vander couldn’t stand a chance against Eresh! Lalo pa at hindi pa galing ang sugat n’ya sa paa.

If this goes on, then the EL Ordre will lose!

Nakarating si Tracer sa first floor kung nasaan sina Plutus. Shielder just nodded at his brother. Nilapitan ni Tracer si Hoax. He knocked off the gun out of his hand. Nabigla si Hoax sa ginawa n’ya at sinubukang lumaban but of course, he won’t stand a chance against Tracer. In no time, he was held captive as well. They removed his earpiece and his mask. Tatlong mga armadong hired goons pa ang nagbabantay sa kanya habang hinuhuli din si Plutus.

“Putangina, Tracer. Traydor ka nga talaga.” natatawang sabi ni Plutus na nakita ang buong pangyayari while hiding behind the pillar.

“I told you.” sabi ni Tracer habang ikinakasa ang baril. “I will do everything to bring my brother back.”

Plutus removed his mask and I saw him smirked. Mabilis s’yang lumabas sa posteng pinagtataguan n’ya para lumipat ng mapagtataguan at kasabay noon ang pagpapaputok n’ya ng baril sa direksyon ni Tracer. Mabilis na nakapagtago si Tracer sa kaninang pinagtaguan ni Hoax.

“C’mon, Plutus.” Tracer said while hiding at the pillar. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

Plutus chuckled. “Gago! Ako pa talaga tinatarantado mo ngayon.”

The goons were hiding as well. Shielder tried to sneak in to get near Plutus habang sinusubukang kunin ni Tracer ang atensyon n’ya. It’s obvious that Plutus was now cornered but his smirk never left his lips.

No, Plutus… I guess it’s best for him to give up for now. He’s outnumbered. It’ll be better if he and Hoax will be with L and Kuya Vander to think of a plan.

But Plutus has no plan of giving up. Lumabas s’ya sa pinagtataguan n’ya at mabilis na pinaputukan ang direksyon ni Tracer na agad na nakapagtagong muli sa likod ng poste. He saw Shielder who was pointing a gun at him at walang takot na sumugod doon. Shielder pulled the trigger but he missed.

“Putangina!”

He tackled Shielder. Tumilapon ang baril na hawak noon and Plutus took that chance to punch him in the face but Shielder did a counter attack kahit na nakapaibabaw sa kanya si Plutus. He punched him on the face as well.

Plutus pointed his gun at Shielder but before he could pull the trigger, the gun flew off his hand as Tracer shot it away from him. He glared at him kaya nagawa ni Shielder na suntukin s’ya sa sandaling iyon.

I groaned. “Damn it, Plutus! Stop fighting!”

He was unarmed pero ayaw n’ya pa ring tumigil at muling sinuntok si Shielder na nasa ilalim n’ya. Tracer must’ve got finally got pissed off as he grabbed Plutus by his collar and pulled him off Shielder before punching him on the face. Plutus tried to get back at him pero mabilis na itinaas ni Tracer ang baril at itinutok sa kanya.

Plutus stilled. Noong una ay nakatitig lang s’ya kay Tracer na parang hindi naniniwalang magagawa iyon sa kanya pero maya-maya ay agad ding napangisi. He chuckled as he massaged his jaw as he spit the blood off his mouth.

“Oh, putangina. Patayin mo na ko.” He even raised both of his hands like he’s surrendering. “Kill me, you son of a bitch!”

Tracer stared at him. Saglit s’yang sumulyap sa kapatid n’yang nakatayo na ngayon at pinupunasan ang dugo sa gilid ng labi n’ya. Then he looked back at Plutus and scoffed.

“Later.”

Plutus chuckled but his eyes were throwing murderous glares at Tracer, “Putangina mong traydor ka.”

Tracer just shrugged his shoulders. Lumapit s’ya kay Plutus at bahagyang itinulak para paglakarin and Plutus quickly shoved his hand away. Natatawang umiling lang si Tracer at muling tinutukan ng baril si Plutus.

“Walk.”

Plutus glared at him before he finally walked. Tinanguan n’ya si Hoax na agad ding naglakad papunta sa kulungan kung nasaan sina L at Kuya Vander.

I sobbed. Nanginginig na ang kamay ko sa sobrang sakit at halos hindi ko na iyon maigalaw pa. It is really hard for me to escape now with a hand like this. Na agad mandidilim ang paningin ko sa kaunting galaw lang. And I’m really worried about my baby.

Merda! I couldn’t help them! I couldn’t help them!

I sobbed. I never felt so helpless fighting with the enemies before. I know I’m not good with plans but I always have a strategy when it comes to fighting. Kaya nga kahit anong dami ng kalaban ay nagagawa kong makatakas sa kanila.

But with things like this, with the people I trusted began betraying the team, with a baby in my tummy that I need to protect… I don’t know what to do anymore.

Napatingin ako sa isang monitor at nakita si Eresh na papalapit sa nakatalikod na si Fourth. There was a gun on her hand and my heart hammered when I saw the expression on her face like she wouldn’t think twice using it at Fourth.

No… She wouldn’t do that, would she?

Pero bago pa makalapit si Eresh ay agad na napalingon si Fourth sa likod n’ya nang maramdaman ang presensya ng ibang tao. His gun pointed at her pero mabilis din n’yang ibinaba nang makita kung sino ang nasa harap n’ya ngayon.

“Eresh…” he muttered.

Eresh stopped in front of him. I couldn’tfind anything on her face as she stared at Fourth except for… indifference. Nakatingin s’ya sa lalaki na parang hindi n’ya iyon kilala.

While Fourth was looking at her. His sea-green eyes were shouting how much he missed and love the woman in front of him.

At that moment, I already knew. I know that Fourth was really willing to do anything for Eresh.

“Do I need to fight with you?” Eresh asked. Nakababa pa rin ang baril n’ya pero kita ko ang pagkalikot n’ya sa gatilyo noon.

Fourth smiled warmly at her. “No…”

“Then you just have to go with me.” she said and Fourth nooded.

“Anything you want, my Queen… Anything you want.”

Naglakad si Eresh papunta sa likod ni Fourth. She pointed her gun at the back of his head. Hindi pa nakuntento at inilapat iyon sa likod ng ulo n’ya. But Fourth just chuckled before he started walking.

I cursed. Merda! We fell on their trap again. This is what the gamemaster wants. For the EL Ordre to lose. To capture us all and kill. For me to watch everything as I helplessly tried to get away in this room before finally killing me.

And now, only Archer, Death and Aius were left. Sila na lang ang pag-asa namin para makaalis dito.

Please… Let them be safe. Let us win this game.

Chapter 44

Halos hindi na yata ako humihinga habang pinapanood ang lahat ng pangyayari sa CCTV monitors sa harapan ko. I wanted to look away, to not watch what’s happening dahil pakiramdam ko ay nasasaktan din ako sa bawat suntok na binibigay ni Tracer sa mga myembro ng EL Ordre. But I couldn’t do it. Mas hindi ko kakayanin ang mawalan ng alam sa nangyayari.

I looked at my injured hands and winced. I couldn’t even lift my fingers. Kaunting galaw ay nakakaramdam agad ako ng panghihina dahil sa sakit. Mukhang kinakain na ako ng pagod dahil sa lakas na ginamit ko sa pagpupumilit kong makawala kanina.

Eresh already put Fourth inside the cell to where the rest of the members were. Wala man lang ginawa si Fourth para labanan si Eresh. He just silently walked as she leads him to the cell even if the gun was still on his hands. Na agad na kinuha ni Eresh bago n’ya pa man ipinasok si Fourth doon sa kulungan. But I know, unarmed or not, he could take down Eresh in a split second. Pero hindi n’ya ginawa.

Of course, he loves her so much. He will do everything for the benefit of his Queen. Even if it means betraying the EL Ordre.

Unti-unti na akong nawawalan ng pag-asa na mananalo kami sa larong ito. I was worried back there that Eresh is just a traitor. I experienced it firsthand how good she was with her plans and strategies. She was the one who made the plans of the Red Faction back then and yet, nahirapan na kaming kalabanin s’ya.

And looking at Fourth, I really don’t think that he will do anything against his Queen. Just like Eresh, he’s good with plans and strategies as well. Pero wala na kaming magagawa kung ayaw n’yang labanan ang babaeng mahal n’ya na dinadala pa ang anak nila ngayon sa sinapupunan nito.

Fourth was also just staring at Eresh through the gap of the bars. Si Eresh ay nakatingin lang din sa kanya, her face was expressionless. Hindi ko mabasa kung anong iniisip n’ya. If there’s any remorse in her as she put Fourth, who willingly did what she wanted, in danger. If she’s regretting betraying the EL Ordre because she loves Fourth.

I know that Eresh loves him. I saw it with my eyes. Her smile and the twinkle in her eyes everytime she looked at Fourth. Alam ko dahil ganoon din ako kay Death.

Is winning this stupid game much more important to her than her love for Fourth? Than the future life with him?

“Don’t even think of escaping.” Eresh said after a while of just staring at Fourth.

“If that’s what you want, my Queen.” sabi ni Fourth habang titig na titig kay Eresh. I saw Eresh rolled her eyes.

Plutus chuckled. Napatingin si Eresh sa kanya habang si Fourth ay hindi na halos maialis ang titig kay Eresh. I sighed for the man. He looked helplessly inlove for the Mad Queen. Na kahit ilang tao pa ang tumulong sa kanya ay hinding-hindi s’ya makakaahon sa nararamdaman n’ya para kay Eresh.

At kahit na harap-harapan na s’yang tinatraydor ay ayos lang sa kanya.

“I thought that you’re a genius, Fourth.” Plutus said as he wears an annoyed smirk on his lips. “Pero masyado kang tanga pagdating sa kanya.” he jerked his way towards the direction of Eresh.

“What? I thought you like her too?” L asked. Nakaupo s’ya sa isang sulok habang ang isang kamay ay nakahawak sa tagiliran n’ya. Mukhang napuruhan s’ya sa ginawang pambubugbog ni Tracer sa kanya kanina. He had a cut on the side of his lips as well.

Plutus shrugged. “I like her but not enough to be stupid for her.” He leaned on the wall and stared at Eresh. His amber eyes looked so serious and it’s obvious that he’s mad. “In fact, hindi ko maisip na magpapakatanga ako para sa isang babae.”

L chuckled. “Kakainin mo rin ’yang sinabi mo.”

“No. Not me.” Plutus nodded at Eresh. “So? You gonna kill us?”

Eresh eyed Plutus from head to toe. The man smirked with what she did.

“Asshole.” she muttered.

Napatingin ako sa dalawang papalapit din sa kulungang iyon. Tracer was pointing a gun at the back of Archer’s head as they walked towards that cell. Archer looked confused while Tracer didn’t have any emotions on his face.

I cursed. Merda! I figured that they, the traitors, planned this thoroughly too. Na habang nagpaplano ang EL Ordre ay gumagawa din sila ng plano to counterattack our plan. I am sure that they got the information from Tracer while Eresh was the one who made plan.

I chuckled with emptiness. We were trying so hard to win this game. We gave our all in this and yet, nasira ang plano dahil sa pagtatraydor. We thought that everything will be perfect, that we will take the lead in this endgame pero wala na kaming magagawa kung pailalim na nila kaming kinakalaban.

Just like back then with Liam Ortega. I was so happy that I finally contributed to the group by making the plan. It was me who made that plan that we will attack them at the parking lot. And yet, it backfired. Violet told them about it kaya nakagawa agad sila ng plano to counterattack us.

I remember how worried I was when I thought that Liam kidnapped Violet because of me. That he’s torturing her as he wanted revenge because of what my father did to his parents. As Liam knew that Violet was so important to them. That I treated her as my friend, as my family.

Little did I know… It was all part of their plan. Everything she did was just for a show.

Sa kanya ako humingi ng payo noon when Death came into my life. As everything back then felt so overwhelming for me. I don’t know anything about having a relationship so I asked for her advice. And while I was listening to her advice, I could feel that she cared for me. That she didn’t want me to get hurt because of men. She didn’t want my heart to get broken.

It hurts me so much. Her betrayal hurts me so much. She was like a sister to me. I just couldn’t imagine that the time we spent together were all… planned.

“What the fuck?” hindi makapaniwalang tanong ni Archer nang isinarado ni Tracer ang kulungang iyon. “Ano? Is this some kind of your acting again? May award ka bang makukuha dito?”

Tracer chuckled. He put a hand on his hips . Itinuro n’ya si Archer gamit ang isang kamay n’ya.

“You, fucker, need to learn the difference between acting and what’s real.”

Humalukipkip si Eresh. She looked at the people inside the cell, one by one before she looked at Tracer. He smirked at her and Eresh just shrugged her shoulders.

“What does that mean?” tanong ni Archer na hanggang ngayon ay litong-lito pa rin sa mga nangyayari.

“It just means that they were both traitors.” L groaned when he tried to stand up. Hoax helped him habang si Kuya Vander ay nanatiling nakaupo sa malamig na sahig doon sa kulungang iyon.

I wanna go out and help him, help them to get out of that cell but how could I do that if I can’t even help myself with the situation that I’m in?

“Hindi ko alam kung kailan pa nagsimula,” L continued. “But I’m sure that they are helping the Red Faction. That trap in the hideout where they took Codee, sigurado akong tumulong si Tracer doon.”

Tracer pointed at L. “Bingo.” he chuckled when L glared at him. “I turned off the security of the hideout, let my brother hacked in our security system so he will have an access with everything. With our plans, with our records… Everything.”

“See? I was right. He’s a traitor.” sabi ni L na kulang na lang ay patayin si Tracer gamit ang mga titig n’ya. He grip on the steel bars of the cell and glared at Tracer. “Palabasin mo ako ditong hayop ka. Let me fucking kill you!”

“Ikaw?” Plutus asked. Nakatingin s’ya kay Eresh ngayon. “Since when are you betraying the EL Ordre?”

“She’s not a traitor.” Fourth said. He glanced at Plutus and looked back at Eresh again. “Not when she’s originally from the Red Faction. Everything she’s done was for her group.”

“Oh my… thank you for that.” Eresh said as she smiled sweetly at Fourth.

“You’re welcome.”

“Tangina?” hindi makapaniwalang sabi ni Plutus habang nakatingin sa dalawa. “At ayos lang sa’yo, Fourth, ang ginagawa n’ya? Ang tanga mo naman pala talaga!”

“You are the stupid one here!” Eresh said.

“Oh, yeah? As far as I know, I am not the one who would stoop so low just to win this fucking game! Acting like on our side when in fact, you’re just a despicable bitch!”

“Watch your words, Plutus!” Fourth warned him.

“And I’m not the one who would fuck anyone as long as they have a hole in their body.” Eresh smirked at him. “At least I want to keep my child. Eh, ikaw?”

Plutus frowned at her. “What are you talking about?”

Mas lalong napangisi si Eresh dahil sa naging reaction n’ya. “See? You’re really stupid.”

“Enough.” pigil ni Tracer sa dalawa. He looked at Eresh. “Let’s go get Aius and Kier.”

Napaderetso ako ng upo nang marinig kung sino ang tinutukoy n’ya. Bumalik ang kaba sa dibdib ko at dumoble, hindi, mas trumiple pa ang kaba ko ngayon. Thinking that they will hurt Death, that they will do everything just to get them to the cell with the rest made me panic.

No… No! Not my husband!

Sinubukan ko ulit na makawala sa pagkakatali sa akin habang pasulyap-sulyap doon sa monitor. Eresh and Tracer were already climbing up the stairs to go to where Aius and Death were. I know that I wouldn’t be able to make it. Kahit na makawala ako dito ay alam kong hindi na ako aabot.

I saw Tracer and Eresh already found the two. Mas lalo ko pang pinag-igihan ang pagtanggal ng tali sa kamay ko kahit na nasasaktan lang ako. Especially when I saw Eresh and Tracer loaded their guns. Isinuksok ni Tracer ang baril n’ya sa likod ng pantalon n’ya habang si Eresh ay itinago ang dalawang kamay sa likod n’ya and plastered a sweet smile on her face.

Merda! Damn this fucking rope! Hindi ko talaga maialis sa kamay ko!

Halos mapatili ako nang bumukas ang pinto kung nasaan ako. I was sweating and panting because of nervousness and trying to escape. Kaya siguro nagtataka ang mukha ni Ishtar nang makita ang itsura ko ngayon. She glanced at my tied hands and sighed.

“No monkey business, V.” she said.

I was about to screamed at her, or beg her to let me escape pero ang mga salita ay hindi lumabas sa bibig ko nang makita kung sino ang kasunod n’yang pumasok.

It was Alter.

Thank God she’s okay!

“Stay here. Both of you.” Iyon lang at isinarado ni Ishtar ang pinto sa pag-alis n’ya.

I got confused. Napatitig ako kay Alter na ngayon ay lumalapit sa CCTV monitors. I was trying to grasp everything. To understand what’s happening but everything seems so wrong. Hindi ako makapag-isip nang maayos.

Alter was watching what’s happening on the monitors. I know that Tracer and Eresh were now fighting with Death and Aius pero hindi ko magawang tumingin doon. I am worried but I am so confused as well. Mas lalo na noong may kinuha si Alter mula sa bulsa ng pantalon n’ya. It was a cellphone.

She dialed on her phone. Natahimik s’ya saglit at hindi nagsalita. Like waiting for someone to answer it. At sa sandaling iyon ay napatingin ako sa mga monitors.

Aius has his hands high up like he was already surrending. Habang si Death ay nakatutok pa rin ang baril kina Eresh. He was in front of a Aius like a good Pawn protecting his King. While the two traitors were pointing a gun at him.

“Tell your Pawn to put down his gun.” Eresh said to Aius.

“I am no longer his Pawn, Eresh.” sabi ni Death na itinutok ang baril sa babae. “I am already out of the game.”

“Then just choose.” Eresh said. “Die here hopelessly or let us take you both to where the rest of the EL Ordre are. Look at your King, seems like he prefers the latter anyway.”

“No… no…. They’ll kill all of you either way.” I mumbled. Hindi na maialis ang tingin ko sa mga monitors.

“Pick up the phone, Yucca.”

Napatingin ako kay Alter nang marinig ko iyon. Mukhang wala sa loob n’yang nasabi iyon habang paulit-ulit na nagda-dial doon sa phone n’ya.

“Alter?” tawag-pansin ko sa kanya.

She mentioned Yucca’s name. Then it means she’s a traitor too?

“Traydor ka din?”

Napatingin s’ya sa akin. There was a worried look on her face as she looked at her phone before finally giving up on calling Yucca. Ibinalik n’ya iyon sa bulsa ng pantalon n’ya.

“Look, V—”

“Oh my God…” hindi makapaniwala ko s’yang tinignan.“Eresh said you’re innocent that’s why I thought—”

“I was just dragged into this!” subok paliwanang n’ya sa akin. “Hindi ko gustong maglihim sa grupo!”

“That— that kidnapped thing. ’Yung nangyari sa hideout? When Shielder took you. Was it all part of a plan as well?”

“No!” she said. “Hindi, V. Pero kinausap ako ni Tracer. To help them betray the EL Ordre.”

Hindi ako makapagsalita at nanatili lang ang titig sa kanya. Alter looked guilty as she looked down at me. Her hands were trembling and she looked like she was about to cry. Pero maya-maya ay lumuhod at may kinapa sa sahig.

“What are you doing?” tanong ko habang kumakapa s’ya sa sahig na malapit sa kanya.

“Finding my laptop.”

I stared at her. Hindi makapaniwala na sa inosente n’yang mukha ay kaya n’yang mag-traydor sa grupo.

I have enough of betrayal! I’m done trusting people and in the end, they will just hurt me and break my trust! Sawang-sawa na akong mabigo nang dahil sa pagtitiwala ko na masisira din naman!

“Got it!” Alter exclaimed. Nakita kong inaalis n’ya ang isa sa mga tile sa sahig, doon sa kung saan hindi masyadong natatapakan na parte sa loob ng room na iyon. She removed the tile and took out a laptop.

I looked at the monitors again and saw that Tracer and Eresh already put Aius and Death in the cell together with the rest of the EL Ordre. My eyes teared up as I gritted my teeth out of frustration.

My friends were there. The man I love was there in danger and here I am, helplessly watching them being betrayed by the people they’ve trusted.

I couldn’t even do anything…

“Kinausap ka ni Tracer para traydurin ang EL Ordre?” I asked Alter. She was busy typing with her laptop kaya nang sagutin ako ay hindi nakatingin sa akin.

“Yes.” she answered straightforwardly. “Gusto rin ng gamemaster na kunin nila ako from EL Ordre as I am the only one who can fight King Lancer’s hacking skills. Threat daw ako sa plano nila.”

“Alam ba ’to ni L?”

Napaangat ng tingin sa akin si Alter bago umling at bumalik sa ginagawa n’ya. “No…”

“He’s really worried about you.” I said. “L suspected almost everyone in the hideout because of what happened. Halos masira na ang EL Ordre dahil doon. Turns out, he was right afterall.”

Napansin kong napatigil sa pagta-type si Alter sa laptop. She was just staring at the screen and I know that she was in deep thought. Alam ko dahil hindi gumagalaw ang mga mata n’ya. Alam kong kahit na nasa Red Faction s’ya ay nakokonsensya rin s’ya kahit na papaano.

She loves L. I’m sure of that.

“Good work, Tracer… Eresh.”

Pareho kaming napalingon ni Alter sa mga monitor at halos mapasinghap ako nang makita na nasa harapan na ng kulungan ang gamemaster at si Shielder na may hawak na baril. Mukhang handang patamaan ang kahit na sino sakaling may lumaban man sa kanila.

“Ah… The EL Ordre. Finally.” said the gamemaster.

“Oh, God. No…” I mumbled.

“Waiting for your signal.” napatingin ako kay Alter nang marinig ang sinabi n’ya. She was holding her ear and I know that she’s talking to someone over her earpiece that was keen to the eye. I bet that it was one of Shielder’s creation. He’s good at it.

“Signal for what?” I asked. Sinulyapan lang ako ni Alter at hindi na sumagot. She typed something on her laptop again.

Sino ang kausap n’ya?

“Your voice…” I heard Aius said. “It’s too familiar.”

Nakita kong nakatitig lang din si Tracer sa gamemaster and I realized that he still doesn’t have any idea who he is. That made me confused. Bakit ako pa ang unang nakaalam if he’s already working under him?

“Of course, Aius…” sabi ng gamemaster at hindi ko man nakikita ang mukha n’yang nasa likod ng maskara ay alam kong nakangisi s’ya. “Sigurado akong pamilyar sa inyong lahat ang boses ko. Especially to Archer.”

Merda … How could I ever forget?! I’m sure that Archer will get hurt if the gamemaster reveals who he is!

Napatingin ang lahat kay Archer. He was at the back, leaning on the wall pero napatayo nang tuwid at dahan-dahang naglakad papalapit sa gamemaster nang titig na titig doon. Eresh looked confused but watched what’s happening with amusement in her eyes.

Of course… She doesn’t have any idea about it. She’s from the Red Faction.

“Tell me you’re not who I think you are.” Archer’s voice were already on the edge.

Oh, no. Archer…

I heard the gamemaster chuckled. Inabot n’ya ang likurang bahagi ng ulo n’ya para tanggalin ang pagkakatali ng maskara doon. I wasn’t there and I was only watching through the monitors but I could feel the tension even from here as they watched the gamemaster slowly taking off his mask.

The gamemaster smirked when he finally took off his mask.

“Archer.” he greeted.

Archer looked taken aback like everyone else. Mukhang hindi makapaniwala kahit na may ideya nang marinig ang totoong boses ng gamemaster kanina. Tumalikod si Plutus at itinukod ang dalawang kamay sa pader habang nakayuko. Fourth smirked with amusement as he played his lips with his fingers. While Aius and Tracer were looking at Archer.

Nang makabawi ay nakita kong nandilim ang mukha ni Archer. His face was grim as he looked at the gamemaster.

“Leto.”

Napatingin na din si Alter sa monitors. Her eyes looked confused just like how Eresh was. Pero ibinalik n’ya rin agad ang tingin sa laptop at muling may kinausap sa earpiece n’ya.

“Status, please.” I heard her say.

I looked at Archer and saw him looking so angry while glaring at the gamemaster. Her hands were balled in a fists. Nanginginig ang katawan n’ya sa galit and I think that this is the first time that I saw him looking so livid.

Palabiro s’ya at palaging nakangiti. He was always the one who lightens up the mood of the group and seeing him like this, pakiramdam ko ay nag-ibang tao sya.

“You’re the gamemaster.” he said. “The one who’s playing with our lives.

Leto chuckled. Mas dumoble ang galit ni Archer dahil doon but he was controlling himself.

“I played yours ever since you were born, Archer.” sabi ni Leto habang nakangisi. “Watching you turning into a beast, like how I wanted you to be. Satisfying.”

“Fuck you!” nanggigigil na mura ni Archer na tinawanan lang ni Leto.

“I needed someone who can play as my Pawn for the EL Ordre. At ikaw ’yon, Archer. You were such a good Pawn.”

Archer didn’t say anything and just keeps on glaring at Leto. I saw the gamemaster smirked.

“You could’ve had a normal life, Archer. Too bad… Ikaw ang napili kong maging Pawn ko.”

“Oh…” I heard Eresh muttered. Mukhang nagka-ideya agad sa kung anumang sinabi ng gamemaster.

I frowned. I also thought of something because of what he said. Ang alam ko ay si Leto ang nag-alaga at nag-train kay Archer simula pa noon. As Archer doesn’t have any parents.

I gasped. Finally realizing what the gamemaster meant by his words.

“What do you—” Archer started to say but he was cut off by Leto.

“Your parents had a normal life. Pero kinailangan ko silang patayin para makuha ka.”

I saw how the anger in Archer’s face turned into something much more intense. He was in rage. Galit na galit s’yang napahawak sa mga bakal na rehas at inalog iyon na parang gusto nang sirain.

“Fuck you! Hayop kang putangina ka!” Archer was shaking the whole steel bar pero hindi man lang iyon natinag. He reached for Leto pero masyadong malayo ang lalaki na mas ikinagalit n’ya. “Tangina mo! Gago kang hayop ka!”

Alter glanced at the monitors at nakita ko ang determinasyon sa mga mata n’ya nang bumalik s’ya sa ginagawa n’ya sa laptop n’ya. She was talking with somebody pero hindi ko na maintindihan dahil ang buong atensyon ko ay nasa grupo ngayon.

My heart is hurting for Archer. I don’t know everything about him. I don’t know his story but I am sure that he was thankful for Leto for taking care of him. Na kahit anong ipagawa ni Leto sa kanya ay ginagawa n’ya. Not knowing that the man was the reason why he’s in this Bloody Human Chess game.

He could’ve had a normal life. But Leto ruined it.

“You fucking son a of bitch!” gigil na sabi ni Archer. Namumuo ang luha sa mga mata dahil sa galit sa lalaki.

“Sigurado akong pagod ka na.” Leto said. “You’re tired of being a Pawn. Ikaw na lang din naman ang nag-iisang Pawn sa EL Ordre kaya pagpapahingahin na kita.”

I sobbed when Leto pointed a gun to Archer. The others tried to protect Archer pero hindi gumalaw si Archer at galit na nakatitig lang sa gamemaster. The man he treated as his father, as his guardian turns out the enemy we’ve been looking for.

“Wala ka na rin namang silbi sa akin.” Leto said as he was slowly pulling the trigger.

“Fuck it, Alter! Pakawalan mo ako!” ang galit kong sabi habang nagpupumilit na makawala.

Merda! Merda! Merda!

But instead of freeing me, Alter touched her earpiece again. Nakatingin s’ya sa mga monitors nang magsalita.

“Ate Eresh, Tracer! They’re all safe now!”

And just like a trigger, Tracer moved and knocked off Leto’s arm but he already pulled the trigger at tinamaan sa balikat si Archer. Eresh tried to shoot the goons that was guarding the cell and hid at the pillars when they shoot her back.

“Take cover!” Eresh shouted at the EL Ordre.

“How can we fucking take cover when there is nothing we could use as a cover here?!” naiinis na sabi ni Plutus.

“Then use your stupid brains! Ipanangga n’yo sa mga bala nang magkagamit naman! Stupid idots!” Eresh looked at Fourth and he nodded before he took out a gun on his back.

My mouth parted as I stared at the monitors. Pinanood ko kung paano makipagpalitan ng mga bala sina Eresh at Tracer sa mga goons as Fourth helped them while he’s inside the cell. Tracer’s target was the gamemaster but Shielder’s trying to protect Leto at hindi n’ya magawang labanan ang kapatid.

“Mga traydor!” I heard Leto said as he tried to take cover. Shielder gave him a gun and he tried to shoots Tracer and Eresh.

“Fuck!” Archer cursed as he tried to mend with his wound. “I’ll live. Talunin n’yo ang kalaban!”

“I don’t even fucking know wha’ts happening!” L shouted. He was trying to decode the lock of the cell.

Shielder and Leto moved towards the stairs. Susunod na dapat si Tracer but Shielder tried to shoot him. He took cover at nang sinubukan ulit sumunod ay hinarangan s’ya ng mga goons kaya muli s’yang nagtago sa mga pader doon.

“Damn it, Yucca!” inis na sabi ni Alter kaya napatingin ako sa kanya. I saw tears formed in the corner of her eyes.

I looked at the monitors then back at Alter again.

“What… What’s happening?” I asked.

I mean I think I had an idea but everything is still confusing. That’s why I need to know what’s the truth. Tumingin naman sa akin si Alter. I thought that she’s gonna give me the answers pero iba ang ibinigay n’ya.

“I think she’s gone, V.” she said.

“What?” tanong kong litong-lito.

Alter sobbed as tears continue to flow down her eyes.

“Yucca— Violet… I think she’s dead.”

Chapter 45

I cursed while hiding behind the pillars, trying to cover myself from the bullets as the enemies kept on shooting us. I glanced to where Eresh was. She was also hiding, her hands were holding the gun, trying to calculate when she should counter attack.

Eresh glanced my way and caught my stare. There was a fire in her eyes, a determination to take down those enemies so we could finally follow to where the gamemaster and Shielder ran off. But we couldn’t as there were still many enemies that’s trying to stop us.

We tried everything so we could come up with this plan, so we could finally catch the gamemaster and make him pay for what he did to us. For playing with our lives. And nobody can stop us now. Not even these unexperienced hired goons.

I won’t let them.

I looked at my team that was still inside the cell. L was having a hard time decoding the lock. Of course, it was my brother who made that. And only Alter had the chance to unlock it.

My gaze went to Archer, the fucker. He was bleeding, trying to mend his wound. He looked so pale pero pinipilit n’ya pa ring gumising kahit na halatang nanghihina dahil sa dami ng dugong nawala. 

Tangina naman kasi. Sinalo ba naman ’yung bala.

I tsked. The fucker’s still trying to act strong. When in fact, I know that he feels worst because of the things that Leto said.

That fucking old man…

It was still vivid in my memory how Creed was like before. Cold eyes, emotionless, like he didn’t have any feelings at all. Like a fucking robot.

He was a beast in a battlefield. Walang kurap n’yang pinapatay ang mga kalaban na inuutos na itumba n’ya. Even when their blood splattered on his face, still, Creed didn’t bat an eye.

He was like that, he became like that because Leto molded him that way. He took care of Creed even if he was the one who killed the poor child’s parents, because he wanted him to be his Pawn. To control someone inside the EL Ordre… Just for the game.

Everything were all just for this fucking game.

“Damn this stupid lock!” may panggigigil na pagmumura ni L. He still wasn’t able to decode the lock even after trying a multiple code while analyzing the algorithm but to no avail. Sa tingin ko pa ay gusto n’ya na lang na sirain ang lock but he knew better. It will lock automatically if someone tries to break it and there wouldn’t be any way to open the cell. That’s how Shielder designed the lock. Even back at the hideout when he was still the one taking care of our security.

“I’m out of bullets!” Fourth announced.

Pareho kaming napatingin ni Eresh sa nakatumbang kalaban sa malapit pero mas malapit iyon sa kanya. The gun was still on the enemy’s hand. Nagkatinginan kami ni Eresh and I immediately got what she wanted to say by the look in her eyes.

‘Cover me.’

I nodded at her. Nanatili ang tingin namin sa isa’t-isa, waiting for the right time to went out and counterattack. The enemies were still shooting at us kahit wala na kami sa paningin nila. We waited until they ran out of bullets and when they finally did, we grabbed that chance.

“Now!” I shouted. 

Sabay kaming lumabas ni Eresh sa pinagtataguan namin. She dove for the gun and immediately rolled over the floor hanggang sa makapagtago s’ya doon sa pinatataguan ko kanina. While I cover her, trying to protect her as I shot down the two enemies that were about to pull the trigger and shoot us. Nagtago kaagad ako doon sa likod ng pinakamalapit na poste.

Eresh smirked at me. I chuckled and just nodded at her. She looked at Fourth and tossed him the gun which he easily caught.

I whistled. Smooth…

“Tangina naman!” L frustratedly cursed.

I saw Eresh rolled her eyes and touched her earpiece to speak.

“Alter! Will you help your stupid boyfriend here, please?”

L looked at her. He has a bored look on his face. Halatang nag-iisip kung papatulan pa ang sinabi ni Eresh o hindi na. In the end, he just sighed.

“Hala, ate. Hindi s’ya stupid.” I heard Atler said on the other line and Eresh rolled her eyes in annoyance.

“Whatever! Just come here!”

Napangisi na lang ako at sumilip para makita ang kalaban. An enemy tried to shoot me but the bullet was blocked by the pillar.

Fuck!

I touched my earpiece. “Be careful, Alter. Maraming kalaban.”

“V’s covering for us.” she said.

Oh… right. There’s V and I know that with what I did to her, she wouldn’t let it pass. Knowing her, alam kong gagantihan n’ya ako sa ginawa ko sa kanya.

But first, we need to survive here.

I took the chance to shoot back the enemy when he reloaded the gun. Ganoon din ang ginawa ni Eresh at nang muli kaming pinaputukan ay nagtago agad sa likod ng pader. While Fourth was trying to shoot the enemies that was on our blind spot.

Malalakas na mga putok ng baril ang maririnig sa abandunadong gusaling iyon. We tried not to take anymore innocent lives. We even planned on tranquilizer as our bullet but we couldn’t risk it. Hirap kaming kumilos while under the gamemaster’s watch. Baka makahalata pa ang demonyo kung ganoon nga ang gagawin namin.

We have no other choice. The only way so that no more innocent lives will be involved in this mess is to stop the gamemaster.

“Pwede bang bigyan nyo rin naman kami ng tanginang baril d’yan?” Plutus asked. Mukhang nainis na dahil walang ginagawa at nanonood lang while trying to dodge the bullets.

I smirked. Guess the fighter in his blood is taking over him. Plutus is good in fighting as well. He’s best with guns. He shoots surely and accurately. Asintado.

I chuckled and smirked. Walang kaalam-alam ang gago.

“And risk my life while trying to get you a gun? No fucking way.” Eresh said and shoots the enemy dead on the floor.

“If only you didn’t take our guns—”

“It was part of a plan! Stupid idiot!” Gigil na sabi ni Eresh at ibinunton na lang ang inis sa pamamaril ng kalaban. Lumabas s’ya sa pinagtataguan n’ya, shooting enemies as she tried to hide on the pillar next to the previous one.

We have to move fast. Hindi namin pwedeng hayaan ang iba dito habang nakakulong pa sila. In no time, I know that Fourth will run out of bullet again.  And we need to run after the gamemaster.

Nag-iisip pa lang ako ng paraan kung paanong gagawin when I saw V, Ishtar and Alter on their way towards us. Nasa harapan si Vexen, trying to guard Ishtar while Alter was guarding the rear.

“Finally!” Eresh exclaimed when she saw the three.

We tried to protect them as well para mas mapabilis ang paglapit nila sa akin. When Alter was sure that it was clear, she ran towards the cell and tried to decode the lock.

“It’s easy!” she said as she tried to punch in the pin code. “You just have to try one wrong code and you’ll be able to tell the right security code based on how the wrong one flashes on the screen. Makikita mo na ang algorithm! Just add all the numbers and get the squareroot before multiplying it by—”

“Alter!” saway ni Eresh. “Just open the damn lock!

V helped us shooting the enemies. She was using her left hand which confused me as it wasn’t her dominant hand. Nang tignan ko ang kabilang kamay n’ya ay napansin ko kaagad ang pamamaga noon. I realized what she did.

Damn it! I don’t want to regret not telling her our plan!

She glared at me when she caught me looking at her. Nakita ko na bahagyang namumugto ang mga mata n’ya.

“Mamaya ka sakin, Tracer.” she warned.

I just chuckled. Napailing na lang ako at itinutok ang baril sa direksyon n’ya. Nanlaki ang mga mata n’ya kaya mas lalo akong napangisi.

I pulled the trigger. Napatingin s’ya sa likod n’ya at nakita ang nakatumbang kalaban. Ang sama nang tingin n’ya sa akin nang muli akong nilingon.

“Fuck you!” she spat.

“Help me stop the bleeding!” I heard Ishtar said. Punong-puno ng dugo ang kamay n’ya as she tried to mend with Archer’s wound.

Hoax took off his shirt and gave it to Ishtar. Ginamit iyon ni Ishtar para ipangtakip sa sugat ni Archer as she puts pressure to his wound.

“This isn’t what I signed up for when I wanted to become a doctor!”

“Can you stop being so maarte?!” Eresh had to scream for Ishtar to hear her in the middle of those loud gunshots. “You’ve done even worse than that!

Hindi na sumagot si Ishtar at ipinagpatuloy na lang ang panggagamot kay Archer.

“Open sesame!” Alter exclaimed when she finally opened the lock. Unang lumabas si L at mabilis s’yang niyakap.

“You’re okay… You’re okay.” he mumbled.

Kanya-kanyang kuha ng mga baril ang iba mula sa mga nakatumbang kalaban nang makalabas na sila sa kulungang iyon. V ran towards Kier and they hugged as well. Lumapit si Fourth kay Eresh mabilis s’yang hinalikan sa labi.

“You knew.” Eresh said, indicating about our plan.

Fourth smiled warmly at her. He caressed her cheeks and the look in his eyes as he stared at her was so gentle.

“I just trust you.” he said.

Fuck. Lovebirds… Fucking lovebirds all around me. I swear, after this fucking game, I will kiss my goddess senseless and spend my time with my family. Every fucking hour and minute!

“Go after the gamemaster. Kami nang bahala dito.”

Napalingon ako kay L. The others were already fighting with the goons, using their fists as much as possible to avoid any more blood. Even Viper was trying to help despite his injured leg.

I looked at Eresh, Aius and Fourth. Mukhang naintindihan naman ako at tinanguan ako. The four of us finally ran after the gamemaster as the rest of the EL Ordre cleared our way for us.

But still, we consider fighting them with our fists para wala nang madamay na buhay. Aius bravely tackled the man who was pointing a gun at him. He ran and stopped in front of the enemy, knocking the gun off his hand. Mabilis na nagpakawala ng suntok ang kalaban. Aius sidestepped and threw a punch on the man’s stomach. He gagged but regain his stance immediately. Nagpakawala ulit ng suntok ang kalaban but Aius easily blocked it and punched the man hard on the face.

While an enemy suddely showed up on my left. Tinutukan ako ng baril at agad na nagpaputok. I was able to dodged the bullet. I caught the man on the wrist na mukhang nagulat pa dahil nakailag ako sa bala. I used his own hand that was holding the gun and knocked off his face. Nabitiwan n’ya ang baril. Hinawakan ko sa kwelyo ang kalaban at pabalyang isinandal sa pader doon. I threw punches on his face and stomach, hard, to make him go unconcious. Saka lang ako tumigil nang may humawak sa balikat ko.

“He’s out, Tracer.” Aius said.

Napatingin ako sa kalaban na duguan ang mukha at wala nang malay. I quickly let go of the bastard. Lumingon ako sa likod ko at nakitang may mga kalaban na ding nakatumba malapit lang kina Fourth at Eresh.

“We have all the time in the world, you know.” Eresh said mockingly. “Wala tayong gamemaster at Shielder na hinahabol.”

I chuckled at her sarcasm. Umirap s’ya at nauna nang maglakad paakyat ng hagdanan, papunta doon sa rooftop. Sinundan namin s’ya.

Pinigilan ni Fourth si Eresh nang marating na namin ang bakal na gate. She looked at him and Fourth signalled that he’ll be the one to open the door. Tumunog ang bakal na gate nang dahang-dahang itinulak iyon ni Fourth. He was able to open it without anything going wrong.

Slowly, he took a step to the rooftop. He held a hand, trying to warn us not to make any moves as he surveyed the place. Nakatingin lang kami sa kanya, sa ekspresyon ng mukha n’ya while hoping that nothing will happen to him.

I looked down at Eresh in front of me. Nakahalukipkip s’ya, like trying to guard and conceal her true feelings pero halatang-halata na kinakabahan s’ya para kay Fourth.

Damn… This girl is really tough.

Lumingon sa amin si Fourth at tumango but there was something in his eyes. His face was grim at alam kong hindi maganda ang naghihintay sa amin sa pagtapak namin doon sa rooftop.

Still, we took a step and followed Fourth.

We quickly saw the gamemaster, the one who started all, standing at the farther side of the rooftop. The sky was dark and gray. Nagbabadya ang pag-ulan at ang madilim na kalangitan ay mas nagpapataas sa tensyon na nararamdaman ko ngayon. I am nervous, alright. ’Cause finally, we are here.

We are at the end.

“The Rook. The Bishop. The Queen and the King.” sabi ni Leto nang may ngisi sa mga labi. “What a nice combination.”

My face darkened. I wanna wipe the grin off that old geezer’s face. Kapag naaalala ko ang ginawa n’ya kay Archer, isang inosenteng nadamay sa laro, kung paano n’ya minanipula ang buhay ng kaibigan ko, pati na rin ang paglalaro n’ya sa mga buhay namin, my anger is eating me. Hindi ko mapigilan ang galit ko at gusto ko na lang na paulit-ulit s’yang patayin, iparamdam ang sakit at paghihirap namin sa mga ginawa n’ya.

But I have to calm down. We didn’t risk and sacrifice everything para lang masira nang dahil sa galit ko.

“In an actual chess game,” the gamemaster continued. “Malaki ang tyansa n’yong matalo ang kalaban. You know, checkmate their King.” he jerked his head towards my brother who’s beside him.

I glanced at Shielder. He was holding a gun. His face was void with emotions. Ang abong mga mata ay sumasalamin sa madilim na langit sa itaas. Like a calm before the storm.

He is the King… The one we needed to checkmate for the EL Ordre to win this game.

The Red Faction’s King.

Fuck…

I saw Leto smirked even more when he noticed my reaction. Mas lalo akong nainis. Pero si Aius, ang pinakadelikadong buhay na kasama namin ay kalmado lang.

“Pero kung magaling ang kalaban, they can be the one who will corner you in the game.” the gamemaster said.

Napatingin ako sa likuran ko. I cursed when I saw more than fifteen enemies at our back, holding a gun and ready to kill us with just a signal from the gamemaster.

“With the right pieces, the enemy can turn the tables.” sabi pa ni Leto.

Damn it! This is what he meant when he said that the enemy will corner us! We got cornered!

I saw Fourth and Aius’ expressions were grim. Their lips were on a thin line, halata ang galit at panggigigil dahil muling naisahan ng gamemaster.

“Mad Queen…” the gamemaster called her. “Since I admire how brave you are, I’ll still give you another chance. Kill your lover and side with the Red Faction again.”

“Over my dead and gorgeous body.” mabilis na sabi ni Eresh na halatang hindi man lang pinag-isipan ang sinabi ng gamemaster.

Fourth chuckled and played with his lips. He glanced at me and smirked.

Fucking genius.

“You’ve chosen death.” Leto said. He looked at Aius this time. “Any last words, King of EL Ordre?”

Aius’ jaw clenched. He stared at the gamemaster darkly.

“Fuck off.” Aius said.

 The gamemaster shrugged his shoulders and glanced at Shielder. “Well then, King Lancer. Kill the EL Ordre’s King and put an end to this game.”

Hindi man lang gumalaw si Aius sa tabi ko. He didn’t try to protect himself. He just stood there, looking at the gamemaster. Napatingin ako sa kanya at nakita ang paglipat n’ya ng tingin sa kapatid ko.

I looked back at the gamemaster. There was a smirk on his face, like he’s already celebrating his victory. Lumipat ang tingin ko sa kapatid ko. His jaw clenched, gritting his teeth as he took a step-back and slowly, raised his hand that was holding a gun.

“Tapos na ang laro, EL Ordre.” nakangising sabi ni Leto.

Hindi ko inaalis ang tingin sa kapatid ko. Dahan-dahan ang pag-angat n’ya ng baril sa direksyon ni Aius. Aius didn’t move and just waited for what is about to happen.

It was only a split second, walang makakahalata maliban sa akin, as my eyes never left my brother’s face. So when he glanced at me, so quick that nobody even noticed, a smirk slowly crept on my face.

Nawala ang ngisi sa mga labi ni Leto nang makita ang pagngisi ko. I bit my lower lip to stop myself from laughing so hard when Shielder pointed the gun at the back of Leto’s head.

And finally, he said.

“Checkmate.”

Chapter 46

“Rest. I will contact you again.” I said as I read what’s on the paper inside the envelope.

I quickly noticed the disappointed look on my team’s face when I’ve read to them the contents of the folded paper. I could understand them. Even I was disappointed as well. We put so much effort in finding these red envelopes that contains the tasks that the owner of the voice wanted us to do so it will tell us where we could find the Red Faction.

We anticipated for this. Every red envelope we get gave us anxieties and nervousness. Kahit na pilit na itinatago iyon ng mga kagrupo ko, alam kong pare-pareho kaming kinakabahan.

And now this? Ito lang ang maririnig nila matapos manganib ang buhay ng grupo nila Fourth sa misyong ito?

We don’t have much time, pero patuloy pa rin nila kaming pinaglalaruan. We had enough of this game. We wanted to end this.

“Huh? Iyon lang?”

I heard Viper asked that question but my focus wasn’t on him as I noticed the indicator light of my laptop that was on the table just blinked as the screen was off. I just received an email. I frowned as I do not expect any message that day. The only thing that I’m expecting was an email from the owner of the voice but since it wanted us to rest, I expected that it won’t contact me.

I looked at the rest of the members before looking back at my laptop again. My gut tells me that I need to open that email, alone.

“But I think we really need it.” I said when I noticed that the tension in the air was getting thick. Ibinaling ko ang tingin ko sa kanila at napansing nasa akin lahat ang atensyon nila. “We need to rest. Wala pa tayong pahinga.”

They all agreed with my suggestion. Plus, I need to read the email that I’ve just received alone. Iba talaga ang pakiramdam ko sa mensaheng iyon.

I went to my room inside the EL Ordre’s hideout. I sat on the one-seater sofa and put my laptop on the coffee table. Binuksan ko iyon at hindi nga ako nagkamali. Someone just sent me an email.

Nanatili ang tingin ko doon. The screen was blinking with the new email that I’ve received pero hindi ko iyon binubuksan. Wala talaga akong inaasahan na magpapadala sa akin ng email kundi ang nagmamay-ari lang ng boses na iyon. This isn’t even my personal laptop. I was using this solely for our mission, for the Bloody Human Chess game. Kaya sigurado ako na tungkol sa laro ang mensaheng ito.

I pursed my lips and thought hard. Who would contact me here except the owner of the voice?

I looked at the folded paper in my hands. Binuksan ko iyon at muling binasa ang nakasulat.

“Rest… I’ll contact you again.” I mumbled. Paulit-ulit ko iyong binasa hanggang sa may namuong ideya sa utak ko.

Why would the owner of the voice gave us time to rest? It was playing with us, right? We even thought that the gamemaster was the one behind this all. That he’s doing this ’cause it entertained him.

The gamemaster will do anything to ruin us. At isa ring dahilan kaya naisip namin na gamemaster ang gumagawa nito ay dahil masyadong nagugulo ang mga emosyon namin sa panibagong paraan ng paglalaro n’ya sa amin. It wanted us to look back at the past, at those nightmares that we’re trying to forget but can’t. At the past that we’re trying to buried deep down despite the scars that it left us. And by doing that, we won’t be able to focus on the game anymore.

But because of this paper in my hands, everything doesn’t seem to fit in the puzzle anymore.

Unless it wasn’t the gamemaster. Unless the owner of the voice was a different person and it has another agenda by doing this.

I stared at the blinking new email at the screen of my laptop. I have a feeling that this email will answer every question that I have right now.

Fuck this shit. Guess there is only one way to find out.

I clicked open the email and waited for the message to show. Pero imbes na mabasa ko ang mensahe na lumabas ay different kinds of coded messages ang nandoon. Numbers and letters and special characters we’re all I could see in the screen. And the codes were not that easy to decipher.

I stared hard at the ciphers and when something clicked in my memory, nahigit ko ang paghinga ko. Those ciphers were familiar! It was those that Gray had a hard time learning. Dito s’ya nahirapan noon!

Emotions flood through me. Halo-halong mga emosyon ang nararamdaman ko. Thrill, excitement, longing, but most of all… nervousness. I was nervous that I might be wrong. Na baka hindi si Gray ang nagpadala nito. Na baka masasaktan na naman ako sa pag-asang makakausap ko na ang kapatid ko.

Still, I worked my fingers. I tried to decode the messages. The anxiety is killing me. I wanted to finish this soon. To see whatever it was trying to tell me. To know if this is really Gray.

The moment I typed in the last letter of the decoded messages, the screen of my laptop blinked. Biglang nandilim iyon. Noong una ay inakala ko pang namatay until some sort of matrices appeared in the screen. I scoffed. Saglit na natawa bago namuo ang luha sa mga mata ko nang makitang pamilyar ang mga codes na lumalabas doon kahit na mabilis ang paggalaw noon sa screen ng laptop.

Until the movement stopped and gave me a group of numbers that I quickly understood. It was coordinates. I searched where it was in my laptop without a second thought at nang makita kung saan ang lugar ay walang pagdadalawang isip na tumayo ako at kinuha ang coat ko.

The hideout was dark and quiet. I figured that everyone was already in their rooms since this is the only time that we got time to rest after playing the endgame. Pero kahit na ramdam ko ang pagod sa katawan ko ay itinuloy ko ang plano na pagpunta sa lugar na dapat kong puntahan.

Mabilis ang pagpapatakbo ko sa sasakyan dahil sa antisipasyon. I am fucking nervous thinking that I will meet my brother there so in no time, nakarating kaagad ako doon.

It was an abandoned mansion. Malayo na ang susunod na kabahayan na parang walang gustong tumira malapit sa abandunadong mansion na ito. Maybe because it looked like a haunted house especially now that it’s nighttime. Mahilig pa namang gumawa ng kwento ang mga tao kahit na wala namang katotohanan.

I bet they’d already create a ghost stories about this house. Which I always find ridiculous.

It wasn’t the ghosts that they should be afraid of. It was the living. Dahil ang mga tao ay ang may kakayahan na manakit. And nobody would even know what a human is capable to do.

Lumangitngit ang bakal na gate nang buksan ko iyon. Nawala na ang plano na tahimik na pumasok doon. I’m sure that the people inside already knows that I am here.

Still, I took a step inside. Mas malaki ang loob ng bahay lalo pa at kakaunti lang din ang kagamitan doon. I couldn’t even call it a home. Para bang hindi naging masaya ang sinumang tumira sa mansyong ito.

I went further in and noticed the long table on the dining area. There was a Queen’s chair at the end of the table and ordinary chairs on each sides. I frowned. Trying to analyze where I am right now.

A Queen’s chair…

“Tracer.”

I turned around and saw Violet standing a few meters away from me. I quickly reached the gun on my back pero hindi agad iyon inilabas nang makita kong wala s’yang planong lumaban. She didn’t move even after she saw me reaching for my gun. Alam kong alam n’yang may baril na nakatago sa likod ko. We were teammates afterall.

“What are you doing here?” I asked. S’ya ba ang nagpadala ng email?

Instead of answering my question, she jerked her head towards the direction of the stairs.

“Let’s go upstairs.” then she just turned around and walked her way, leaving me alone.

Pinasadahan ko s’ya ng tingin. She was wearing a fitted black leather pants and a tube top, a black ankle boots and her long hair was tied in a bun. With those clothes on it’s impossible that I wouldn’t notice if she’s hiding a gun. But she’s not carrying one.

Reluctantly, I followed her but I didn’t put my guard down. She was an enemy. I remembered her shooting Alter on the chest that put her in danger. But Violet’s stance was unguarded as I watched her back while she’s climbing the stairs.

Ilang kwarto ang nadaanan namin at tahimik lang akong nakasunod sa kanya. Is this the new hideout of the Red Faction? But no, halatang nilinis ang loob but something’s telling me that nobody lives in this mansion anymore.

Violet finally stopped in front of the door, second to the last room. She glanced at me before turning the doorknob and without even giving me a warning, she opened the door and walked inside.

I readied myself in case something will happen pero nang mawala si Violet sa paningin ko at makita ko ang loob ng kwarto ay napatigil ako. ’Cause there, standing inside the room, I saw my brother.

Gray was looking at something on the wall as his hand touches a small hole on it. Naramdaman n’ya sigurong may nakatingin sa kanya kaya napalingon s’ya sa gawi ko.

At first, I thought I was looking at some stranger. Gray’s eyes were cold and emotionless, parang nakatingin din s’ya sa isang taong hindi n’ya kilala. He didn’t even reacted when he saw me and it pained me to see him like this.

I remember our childhood. We were so closed. Ilang taon man ang agwat ng mga edad namin ay hindi iyon naging hadlang para hindi kami maging malapit sa isa’t-isa. Dad said that Gray was always looking up to me, that I was his role model kaya ginawa ko ang lahat para maging mabuting kapatid sa paningin n’ya.

Even with all the training that I’ve done. Even when our father was teaching me things before he handed me our family company, I still tried to find time to play with my brother. At natutuwa akong makita ang mga ngiti n’ya habang nakikipaglaro sa akin. It seems like he really enjoyed playing with me.

Kaya kahit na pagod na pagod ako at nagmamakaawa ng pahinga ang katawan ko, at the end of the day, I still chose to play with my brother instead of resting.

That’s why I couldn’t stop blaming myself because of what happened to him. His words hurt me that brought nightmares to my every night. It wasn’t the drug that was talking with every lashes that he gave me back at the Red Faction’s hideout where I last saw him.

It was him. It was my brother. He told me those thing being Gray. Ang mga salitang hindi n’ya masabi dahil sa takot na masaktan ako. Ang mga salitang matagal n’yang itinago kaya wala akong kaalam-alam.

He was right. I left him. I was blinded with my anger, trying to find who killed our parents to get revenge. I forgot all about him when Artemis was with me. Nakalimutan ko s’ya. Nakalimutan kong may sariling paghihirap din ang kapatid ko.

“Gray…” I called him, iniinda ang sakit sa paraan ng pagtitig n’ya sa akin.

Ang mga daliri n’ya ay patuloy na humahaplos sa maliit na butas na nandoon sa pader habang walang emosyon ang mga matang nakatingin sa akin. I ignored the pain in my chest and took a step forward to him.

“Gray, it’s me… Your brother.” I said softly.

Tumigil ako ilang hakbang ang layo mula sa kanya para bigyan sya ng pagkakataon na unawain ang sinabi ko. And it worked ’cause after awhile, I saw him frowned. Muli s’yang tumitig sa akin and this time, I saw recognition in his eyes.

“Kuya…” sabi n’yang mukhang hindi makapaniwalang nandoon ako sa harapan n’ya. “Kuya…”

Hindi na ako nag-isip pa at mabilis akong naglakad para mayakap s’ya. This happened before. Back then when Eresh revealed that my brother was their King Lancer. He shot me back there. Ramdam ko ang galit nya noon habang yakap ko s’ya. At hindi ko man lang nararamdaman ang pag-aalinlangan n’ya nang barilin n’ya ako noon.

But fuck! I would take every bullet just so I could hug my brother again. If my hug could bring him back, if my hug could heal our broken bond, if my hug could make him feel that I am sorry for abandoning him, then I am willing to get shot no matter how many times.

Ni hindi ko alam kung anong naghihintay sa akin nang pumunta ako dito. Basta ang nasa isip ko lang ay makita ang kapatid ko. Kahit ilang beses na akong napahamak noon sa pagtatangkang kausapin s’ya, I will take every opportunity I get if I could talk to him.

“I’m here, Gray… Nandito na ko. I won’t abandon you again.”

Naramdaman ko ang alanganin n’yang pagyakap sa akin. Humugot s’ya nang malalim na paghinga nang sandaling mayakap ako. I felt him heaved a deep sigh, like all the tension left his body before I felt his shoulders shook as he buried his face on my shoulder.

“I’m sorry, Kuya! I’m sorry!” he said while crying. Humihigpit ang pagyakap n’ya sa bawat salitang binibitiwan n’ya. “I’m sorry!”

Parang bata s’yang humagulgol sa balikat ko habang paulit-ulit na humihingi ng tawad sa akin. I pursed my lips as I felt my eyes hot with tears. Humugot ako nang malalim na paghinga habang kinakalma ang sarili ko.

Violet looked away at us and just leaned her body on the wall beside the window. Tumitig s’ya sa labas ng bintana at hinayaan kaming dalawa ng kapatid ko.

I sighed all the tension in my body. Hinayaan kong umiyak ang kapatid ko sa mga balikat ko. I hugged him tight and promise to myself that I would never, ever make him feel alone again.

Hindi ko na ulit s’ya pababayaan. I will share my family with him and let him play with my kids. Alam ko pa namang mahilig s’ya sa mga bata. I’m sure that he will love the twins.

And I promise that I will protect him, just like what a big brother should do for his little brother.

“I’m sorry, Gray.” bulong ko sa kanya habang hinahagod ang likod n’ya. Kung narinig n’ya man o hindi sa gitna ng paghagulgol n’ya ay hindi ko alam.

All I know is that Grayson James Sanford, my little brother, is finally back.

After awhile of crying, Gray finally pulled away. I chuckled when I saw him wiped his tears harshly like a child. Sumisinghot pa at bahagyang humihikbi habang nagpupunas ng mga luha.

“Sorry…” muling sabi n’ya sa akin na nahihirapan pa dahil sa paghikbi.

I chuckled and pat his head. “I’m sorry, too.”

“So… Tapos na ba ang reunion?”

Napatingin ako sa may pintuan at nakita ang isang taong hindi ko inaasahan na makikita ko doon. It was Ishtar. She was leaning on the doorjamb with her arms crossed like she’s been watching us for a long time now.

“Ishtar? What are you doing here?” I asked.

“She’s helping us, Kuya.” sagot ni Gray na bahagya pa ring humihikbi. Lumapit s’ya sa kamang nandoon at umupo sa dulo.

“Helping you?” hindi makapaniwala kong tanong at muling tumingin kay Ishtar.

How could she ever help them?

“The voice. It was hers.” it was Violet like she heard my thoughts even though she’s looking outside the window.

Pero mas lalo lang akong naguluhan.

“You’re the owner of the voice?” I asked Ishtar and she nodded before she went in furher the room.

“Yup!” she said, popping the ‘p’.

“We didn’t notice anything different with you.”

“’Cause your focus isn’t on me.” Ishtar said. “Naging madali sa akin especially that I was always alone in my room since Hoax is trying to help the EL Ordre.”

“It couldn’t be Violet since Eresh could’ve noticed.” Gray said. His gray eyes was serious. “Madali n’yang mapapansin sa paraan ng pagsasalita ni Violet kahit gamitan namin ng voice changer. They have been planning together back at the Red Faction ever since afterall.”

“And nobody really paid attention to me.” Ishtar said. “Wala akong nakasama nang matagal sa EL Ordre so we took the chance to use my voice.”

“So that’s why Eresh was so annoyed when she listens to the voice. Kasi ikaw ang may-ari.” I said and Ishtar rolled her eyes. Dahil sa ginawa n’ya ay napansin ko ang pagkakahawig nila ni Eresh.

“We contacted her as we believe nobody would ever noticed that she owns that voice. Na sa tingin ko ay gumana naman.” paliwanag ng kapatid ko.

“Wait a minute.” sabi ko nang may maisip. “So you three were helping the EL Ordre secretly.” They all nodded. “To help us defeat the gamemaster.” they nodded again. “But why does it feels like you’re trying to weaken us by using our emotions?”

“We’re actually trying to strengthen you.” Violet said. Naglakad sya at umupo sa tabi ng kapatid ko. “It was our way so the gamemaster couldn’t use your emotions against you. We want all of you fully prepared for the final game.”

“At ganoon ang pinapalabas namin sa gamemaster.” Gray said. “Ang durugin ang EL Ordre gamit ang mga emosyon nila. Iyon pa naman ang pinaka kahinaan n’yo.”

I looked at Ishtar. “At pinapalabas mong nagta-traydor ka sa EL Ordre?”

She nodded and smiled at me sadly. “Afterall, the gamemaster thought that I hated the EL Ordre. He knew what I’ve done before.”

Nakita ko ang lungkot sa mga mata n’ya. At kahit hindi n’ya sabihin, alam kong sinusubukan n’yang bumawi sa mga nagawa n’ya, sa nagawa n’ya kay Aius. It’s dangerous. The gamemaster might notice that they were just acting but Ishtar was still willing to help.

Looks like she finally have the courage to face and correct her mistakes.

“Then where do I fit in here?” I asked dahil hindi ko alam kung anong gagawin ko.

Gray sighed. He stood up and looked at me directly in the eye.

“We need your help, Kuya.” he said.

I frowned. “How?”

He pursed his lips. At nang magsalita ay halata ang kaseryosohan sa boses n’ya.

“I want you to talk with the gamemaster and act in front of him, Kuya. Act like you’re ready to betray the EL Ordre for me.”

Chapter 47

I was standing in front of that big monitor. My eyes never left the screen as I stared at the man in the monitor. I was trying to look in his eyes, but was having a hard time as we’re not really face to face. It was hard to read what he’s thinking especially with that mask that covers his whole face except for his eyes.

I was now facing the gamemaster through this fucking monitor. The anger inside me was slowly building up the longer that I look at him. But I couldn’t do anything but to stare at him as he sat comfortable at that swivel chair behind his desk. Even if I wanted to kill him right here and now, I just couldn’t.

Here is the man that ruined everything. Here is the man that played with our lives like a fucking chess pieces. Here is the man that was the sole reason of our pain and suffering.

It angered me that I couldn’t even punch him now that I have the chance of talking to him.

“Tracer.”

I gritted my teeth when he called me. He was using a voice changer and that gave me an idea that he’s someone I know. He wouldn’t cover his face and took time changing his voice if I don’t know who he is. He’s concealing his identity just means that someone in EL Ordre or Red Faction knew who he is.

“Hindi ko alam kung anong iisipin sa pakikipag-usap mo sa akin.” the gamemaster said. Pakiramdam ko ay nag-e-echo ang boses n’ya sa silid kung nasaan ako. “I don’t know if I am looking at an enemy like you used to be or to a… potential ally.”

Fuck you, bastard. I will never ever be an ally to you. You are the fucking reason why my parents died. If you didn’t create this stupid game, then buhay pa sana sila ngayon! Nakapamuhay sana kami ng normal! Hindi sana napahamak si Artemis noon!

Putangina mo. Hinding-hindi kita mapapatawad sa lahat ng ipinaranas mo sa amin.

I suddenly remembered why I am here, talking with the gamemaster instead of killing him. Naalala ko kung paano ako kinausap nina Violet at ng kapatid ko para sa araw na ito.

“I told the gamemaster that it’ll be best if you become a traitor to the EL Ordre and help us.” Violet said.

We were still at the Levitsky’s mansion. I was sitting at the one-seater sofa while the three of them, Violet, Ishtar and Gray, tried to explain everything to me. Pero habang nakikinig ako sa kanila ay mas dumarami lang ang tanong sa utak ko.

“And it wasn’t hard for you to become a traitor ’cause Shielder is your brother and you’re willing to do everything for him.” Violet continued.

I snorted and smirked at her. Tinignan ko s’ya na may halong pang-uuyam. I poke the inside of cheeks with my tongue while still wearing a smirk as I stared at her. Pagkatapos ay hindi makapaniwalang natawa ako. Violet stared at me like she’s confused with my reaction.

“It’s not that hard?” I asked, full of sarcasm. “Iyon ba ang naramdaman mo nang magtraydor ka sa EL Ordre? You didn’t have a hard time betraying us? Because to be honest, Violet, I find it really hard betraying my friends.”

Hindi s’ya nakapagsalita at mukhang nabigla pa sa sinabi ko. I chuckled with amusement. Mas nabigla ako sa sinabing n’yang hindi ako mahihirapang magtraydor dahil sa kapatid ko!

I squinted my eyes. Tinitigan ko s’ya, trying to read what’s on her mind. She noticed what I am doing as she didn’t back down and stared back at me.

“How would I know that this isn’t just another trap?” I asked. “How would I know if this isn’t just another one of your acting skills to betray us?”

“This—” she licked her lips like she’s nervous. “This isn’t, Tracer. We really need your help.”

“You shot Alter the last time we saw each other. Muntik na s’yang mamatay nang dahil sa’yo!”

“It was just a mistake! I never even planned of killing her!” she sighed. “Just trust me on this, Tracer.”

Hindi makapaniwala akong natawa. “Trust you? Sigurado ka ba sa hinihingi mo sa akin? Baka nakakalimutan mong nagtraydor ka? You spied on us, Violet! You were the reason why Shielder is in this state now!”

“Tracer—” marahas s’yang napasabunot sa buhok n’ya at tumingin sa akin. Parang naghahanap ng paraan kung paano ako mapapaniwala sa mga sinasabi n’ya. “I know that I am being a bitch asking you for this when I betrayed the EL Ordre—”

“I’m glad you know.” putol ko sa sinasabi n’ya.

She sighed and looked at me helplessly. “Just trust me on this, Tracer. I know the gamemaster. He’s not just some ordinary guy out there. He’s dangerous.”

I stared at her. Pinakiramdaman ko ang sarili ko. How could I trust this woman who already betrayed us before? We thought that she considered us as friend— as a family kaya hindi ko akalain na madali lang para sa kanya ang traydurin kami.

She was close with V, right? I even thought that they treated each other as sisters. But guess I was wrong.

“Tell me who the gamemaster is.” I said, trying to test her loyalty.

She just said that she knew the gamemaster. That he’s dangerous. Ibig sabihin ay kilala n’ya kung sino iyon at kung ano ang kayang gawin ng tarantadong matandang iyon.

She looked taken aback with what I’ve said. Pero mabilis din namang nakabawi at umiling sa akin.

“It’s better if you don’t know, Tracer.” she said. “The less you know, the safer you are.”

“You do know that you are asking me to trust you when you can’t even tell me the most important thing that you know?” hindi makapaniwala kong tanong sa kanya.

“Kuya.” it was Gray, sitting at the edge of the bed beside Ishtar who’s quietly observing everything. He glanced at Violet before looking back at me. “Kung hindi mo kayang magtiwala kay Violet, then trust me instead.”

I looked at my brother. It hasn’t been that long since I last saw him. Since the day that I almost lost him. Pero habang nakatingin ako sa kanya ngayon ay hindi ko maintindihan. It seems like I am looking at my brother, but not really.

Something has changed in him.

“I got plans.” he said and stared at me in the eye. “ The gamemaster… He witnessed the day when I…“

He pursed his lips. Nag-abang ako sa sasabihin n’ya dahil mukhang nag-alinlangan s’yang ituloy iyon. He looked at me again, tears were forming in the corner of his eyes. Bahagya pang nanginig ang labi n’ya at napabuntong-hininga na lang ako. I think I have an idea what he’s about to say.

“When I…” he tried again. “When I tortured you. How you endured everyting, every pain with every lashes that I gave you. He witnessed it all.”

Dahil sa sinabi n’ya ang parang naalala ng katawan ko ang sakit na natanggap ko noon sa bawat hampas na ibinigay n’ya sa akin. I winced in pain. The wounds were long healed and gone but I know, it’ll be forever in my mind as one of my horrible memories because of this fucking game.

At mukhang ganoon din si Gray. He looked sorry and regrettful as he said those words. Gusto kong ipaalam sa kanya na ayos lang ang lahat. That what he did is okay. That I wouldn’t take it against him. Pero alam kong mas magpapasama lang iyon ng loob n’ya kaya pinili ko na lang ang manahimik.

I know that one day… We will all move on in this horrific chapter of our lives.

“He’s saying that it’s a plus point.” Ishtar suddenly said. Napatingin tuloy kaming lahat sa kanya. “You have a chance of convincing the gamemaster that you can betray the EL Ordre for Shielder since he had already witness what you can do for your brother.”

“Act, Tracer.” Violet said. Mukhang nakabawi na sa mga sinabi ko sa kanya kanina. “Convince the gamemaster that you’re willing to turn your back against the EL Ordre… For Shielder.”

“Tracer.”

I got pulled back from that memories when I heard the gamemaster’s voice. He was staring at me through those monitor. It seems like he was trying to read my mind so I kept all my emotions off my face.

“Yucca told me that we could use you to win this game.” he said. “Sa totoo lang ay wala akong tiwala sa’yo. I don’t think that you’ll betray the EL Ordre and choose to help the Red Faction given the fact that it was them who murdered your parents.”

My face darkened with the mention of my parents. Kumuyom ang mga kamao ko at nagpigil sa kagustuhan na sigawan s’ya. Na sabihing s’ya ang totoong dahil ng lahat. Because of this stupid Bloody Human Chess game, maraming buhay ang nasayang.

But instead of doing those, I tried to calm myself down. I looked at him, coldness was in my eyes when deep inside, I really wanted to torture him. Make him pay for everything.

“My and Shielder’s parents.” I corrected him.

I should convince him but I should take it slow. Makakahalata s’yang may mali kung magiging desperado akong mapaniwala s’ya.

He stared at me. Mata n’ya lang ang nakikita ko sa kanya kaya tumitig ako pabalik. I should let him know that I’m in for everything. As long as it’s about my brother.

“I know.” he said and even behind that mask, I could tell that he’s smirking. “You wouldn’t betray the EL Ordre… Pero ibang usapan na kung ang pinakamamahal mong kapatid ay nasa kabilang panig ng kalaban.”

I gritted my teeth to stop my anger. Sumasakit ang panga ko sa pagpipigil ng galit but I have to endure it. Kaysa masira ang plano namin.

This is our only chance to win this game.

The gamemaster shifted on his seat. He put his hands on the table and intertwined his fingers before he asked me.

“Tell me, Tracer… Ano ang kaya mong gawin para sa kapatid mo?

“Tell me how much you wanted to end this game, Kuya.” I remember Gray asked me. Nakita ko ang kaseryosohan sa mga mata n’ya nang itinanong iyon sa akin.

I stared back at him. His eyes were serious. Napansin ko ang pagkakahawig ng mga mata namin pero sa kulay ay may pakakaiba. Mine was lighter gray compared to his. His gray eyes were the same colors with the sky. Iyong kapag mabigat na mabigat na ang mga ulap dahil sa nagbabadyang ulan. Like a storm.

At first, I thought that his stormy gray eyes doesn’t match his carefree personality. Masyadong masayahin ang kapatid ko. Palaging nakangiti. Kaya para sa akin, ang mga mata n’yang kakulay ng masamang panahon ay hindi nababagay sa kanya.

But now, looking at him, after everything he went through. After being apart with him. Somehow, it seems like that his stormy gray eyes have now matched with his personality.

Dark and dangerous.

“I want this game to end more than anything else, Gray.” I said. Dahil pakiramdam ko, kapag nagpatuloy pa ang larong ito, tuluyan nang mawawala sa akin ang kapatid ko.

It was lucky that he managed to get back to being himself after they drugged and brainwashed him.

“Then are you willing to risk everything, Kuya?” he asked again. “Everything for a normal and future life with your family?”

Hindi ko kaagad nasagot ang tanong n’ya. I don’t want to lose anything anymore. Sa tingin ko ay hindi ko na kakayanin. Noong inakala kong wala na ang kapatid ko ay inakala kong hindi na ako makakabangon ulit. But Artemis was there for me. She was patient as I mourned with my brother’s fake death.

But if I stop here now, patuloy kaming mamumuhay na puno ng panganib. And I don’t want that for Artemis, for our family. Kung ito ang paraan para matigil ang laro at makapamuhay na kami ng normal, then I’d go for it.

Thus… I made the decision.

“Everything.” I answered the gamemaster. “I will do everything for my brother.”

He chuckled. At doon pa lang, alam ko nang hindi ko na magugustuhan ang pinaplano n’ya.

Fuck.

“Para masigurong hindi mo nga ako tatraydurin at hindi ito isang palabas lang, pababantay ko ang pamilya n’yo, Tracer. Ang pamilya n’yong lahat ng EL Ordre.” I heard him smirk. “It will be on you if something bad happens to them.”

Damn it. Putangina. Putang Putangina.

“I’m sorry, Kuya.” Gray said  when we met again one day and I told them about what the gamemaster said. “Hindi ko gustong ipahamak sina Artemis.”

I sighed. The truth is, I am nervous as fuck with the gamemaster moves. May kutob na akong gagawin n’ya ito  when Gray asked me if I’m willing to risk everything. And it looked like he’s expecting it as well.

Pero hindi ko napaghandaan ang kabang nararamdaman ko. I am worried. Worried that the gamemaster would know about our plan. He already played with our lives kaya sigurado akong hindi sya magdadalawang-isip na gawin ang binabalak n’ya sa mga pamilya namin.

“It’s okay, Gray.” I said. “Hindi naman maiiwasan ’to. Plus, this is the only chance we have to win this game.”

“We need to go all out.” Violet said. She was leaning on the wall with her arms crossed over her chest as she looked at us. “Nakataya na ang lahat ng mayroon tayo dito.”

I noticed that she’s good now with her Tagalog. May kaunting accent pa rin pero hindi na katulad noon na napaghahalo-halo ang mga salita.

“Really?” I asked. “Tell me, Violet. Ano naman ang nakataya sa’yo dito? Siguro kahit ito man lang ay pwede mong sabihin sa akin, hindi ba? We’re a team afterall.”

I stared at her. Hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa rin ako nagtitiwala sa kanya. I am anxious that she might do something again behind our backs. Na may pinaplano na naman s’yang ikasasama ng kapatid ko.

“If you want me to trust you, then you should at least tell me this.” I said. “’Cause you know what? I think I will never trust you again.”

I took a slow steps towards her. I could feel Gray was looking at me as I walked near Violet pero wala s’yang ginawa para pigilan ako. He knew that I really don’t trust this girl and I’m against her working with us.

I stopped in front of her and stared down at her. Hindi n’ya rin inalis ang tingin n’ya sa akin kanina pa.

“Tell me, Violet. Ano ang itinaya mo sa larong ito?”

“Ang taong mahal ko.” she said in straight Tagalog. Like she didn’t have to give much thought with that answer ’cause she’s telling the truth. “I’m doing everything I can for him to be safe. Right from the start, Tracer.”

I stared at her. Honesty is in her eyes. Hindi rin s’ya nag-iwas ng tingin na parang sa paarang iyon ay magagawa n’yang ipaalam sa akin na totoo ang mga sinasabi n’ya. That she has someone she loved that she wanted to protect in this game.

And I know that it was Gray.

I noticed long before her feelings for my brother. The way she looks at him. She tried to hide it by telling V that it was Archer that she fancies as he looked like her favorite actor but I knew as it’s obvious… She loves my brother.

Sigurado ako doon kaya hindi ko mapaniwalaan ang ginawa n’ya sa kapatid ko.

But now she’s telling me that she’s trying to protect him even from the start?

“We need to take Alter.”

Napatingin kaming dalawa ni Gray sa sinabing iyon ni Violet isang araw. Gray was busy hacking the EL Ordre’s security as the gamemaster wanted it. And I’m helping him with it.

“Alter?” Gray asked. I realized that they haven’t been introduced properly before.

“Red Faction’s tracker. L’s woman.” I said. “Alter’s her codename.”

“Ah… Right.” he said like he remembered something.

“She’s the only one who stood a chance against your hacking skills.” Violet explained. “Baka masira ang plano na’tin dahil sa kanya. I’ll tell the gamemaster that we’ll take her so she wouldn’t be a problem to you as King Lancer.”

“Then let’s take her.” Gray said.

It was all planned. L and Alter will stay at the hideout and will serve as our eyes while the rest of the EL Ordre will go at the Red Faction’s hideout, hoping to corner the gamemaster or Shielder there. Pero alam kong wala silang maabutang kahit sino doon.

It was hard seeing my team working so hard to win this game but here I am, leading them into a trap. It was hard acting in front of them, acting like helping them when in the end, I would only sabotage their plan.

“Do you really have to shoot Viper?!” I angrily asked my brother when we met again after they took Alter and brought her at the new hideout of the Red Faction. At that abandoned building.

“What are you expecting, Kuya? Na basta na lang kaming aalis doon? Hindi mo man lang ba naisip na baka magtaka ang gamemaster kung ganoong kadali lang kaming aalis?!”

I looked at him like he just became a stranger in my eyes. Hindi makapaniwala ang reaksyon na ibinigay ko sa kanya. It really mean that he purposely shot Viper on the leg!

“This isn’t you, Gray…” I softly said. “Bakit parang ang dali-dali na lang para sa’yo ang manakit? What happened to you?”

Gray was gentle. My brother wouldn’t hurt anyone. I know. The rest of the EL Ordre knew that. Kaya nga malakas ang loob kong ipabantay sa kanya si Artemis noon. Even Archer with Fatima. And Kier with V when she was still pregnant before.

But when I saw the CCTV footage, walang pag-aalinlangan n’yang binaril si Viper na halos hindi ko mapaniwalaan. I even had to stare at the monitor so hard to check if it was really Gray who did that. But it was him. It was really Gray.

“This is me as King Lancer, Kuya.” he said. Seryosong-seryoso ang mga mata n’ya. “I’m not the same Gray before. And I will do everything to finally stop this game.”

I just stared at him. Trying to convince myself that I’m looking at my brother. That it was still gray. My little brother who always wanted to play with me. My brother who looked up to me. My little brother who would sleep beside me whenever he’s scared.

My little brother…

“If you can’t risk everything, better pull out yourself in this. I don’t need your half-assed help, Kuya.”

Even the way he talks… it changed.

“Of course… I’ll help.” I just said.

The EL Ordre branded me as a traitor. Kahit na si L lang ang may lakas ng loob na sabihin iyon sa akin, I know that the rest of them also think of me that way.

I couldn’t blame them. I am truly a traitor. Kaya kung minsan ay hinahayaan ko lang na ganoon ang isipin nila sa akin. Even if it somehow gave me pain to know that they couldn’t trust me. Na mabilis nawala ang tiwala nila.

Didn’t they witness how much I suffered with the death of my parents? How much I did everything to search for their killer? How much it pained me to know that the enemy took my brother and made him their King to use against me and the EL Ordre?

But I chose to ignore it all. If this is the only way that we could win against the gamemaster, then I’m okay with me being a traitor in my team’s eyes.

We talked with Alter and let her in with our plan. Hindi naman s’ya naging mahirap kausap as she was willing to help even if she had to keep it a secret to L. Ang alam pa rin ng gamemaster ay bihag lang namin s’ya. To lure Eresh out and convince her to be with the Red Faction again.

The gamemaster somewhat admire her guts. And he knew that Eresh is smart. He knew that the EL Ordre will crumble without her help. Kaya ganoon na lang ang kagustuhan n’yang kunin ulit si Eresh. With the use of Alter.

Well, he didn’t know what Aius and Fourth could do.

Eresh was hard to convince. She was worried about the baby in her. Hindi ko naman s’ya masisi at kung ako lang ay hindi ko na s’ya isasama sa planong ito. But it’ll be more dangerous if it’s the gamemaster who will take a hold of her.

In the end, she still agreed to help us. At mas napadali ang pagpaplano namin laban sa gamemaster dahil sa tulong n’ya.

Fourth became a problem. Nang araw na mawala si Eresh, halos baliktarin n’ya ang buong mundo para mahanap lang ang fiancee n’ya. But when he came to see me to ask me to go back to the hideout of the EL Ordre, he was so calm. He’s so calm for someone who’s fiancee was missing.

“Of course. He’s a genius.” Eresh said when I told her na nakakahalata na si Fourth. “He’s smart unlike the rest of the EL Ordre. But don’t worry. He’ll do nothing to hinder our plans.”

That royal couple really understands each other. As what Eresh said was right. Alam kong nakakahalata na si Fourth base sa mga titig n’ya na parang pinapanood at pinag-aaralan ako. And fuck it! I forgit about him when we plan to take Eresh with us as well!

Mabuti na lang at hindi nga s’ya gumawa ng kahit ano para makasira sa plano namin. He even shook our teammates mind when he told them that he was, perhaps, the traitor. Kaya nawala ang atensyon sa akin ng EL Ordre noon at napunta sa kanya.

He took me back to the hideout despite L’s condition as he knew that Eresh was with us. He took me back so he can monitor Eresh through my movements.

A real fucking genius and a manipulator.

“Alter, I gave you the list of the families of the EL Ordre.” Gray said as he worked with his computer. “You have to take care of them.”

“What? How?” I heard Alter asked through the speakers. Hindi kami pwedeng magtagal sa kwartong pinagdalhan sa kanya. Makakahalata ang gamemster. ’Cause for him, Alter was our hostage.

“I’ll contact the President and ask for his help to guard those families.” Gray answered. “I want you to guide them, Alter. Sabihin mo kaagad sa amin kung ligtas na sila. We’ll take the gamemaster from there.”

“Wait, why would you contact the President?” Eresh asked. “He has nothing to do with the game.”

“Believe me, he does.” Gray said. Tumingala s’ya kay Eresh na nakatayo sa pagitan naming dalawa.

Eresh stared at him. Maya-maya ay nakita kong tumango na parang may nalaman sa titig lang na iyon ng kapatid ko.

“Sabagay…” she said as she shrugged her shoulders. “The gamemaster was the one who’s giving the EL Ordre their mission from the government. It’s not a surprise if the President knew who he is.”

Gray worked with his laptop again and Eresh just stood beside him and watched as he typed on his computer. While Violet was just leaning on the wall, looking at Gray.

Eresh’s words linger on my mind. I remembered. We thought that the gamemaster is someone in the government as he was the one who’s giving us orders from them. Kaya hindi malabong kilala s’ya ng Presidente. And Gray asking for the President’s help to protect our families because of the gamemaster’s doing.

It’s dangerous. Then he has to tell the President everything. Even about this fucking game that we’re playing.

“Who the hell is this?” 

Napatingin kami kay Gray nang itanong n’ya iyon. He was looking at the computer’s screen with a frown on his face. Napakunot na din ang noo ko.

“What?” I asked.

Gray looked at me. Confusion is in his eyes.

“May pamilya na si Kuya Kylo?” he asked and glanced at the computer screen again. “Pero Abella apelyido nitong dalawa, eh. Hindi Villaraza.”

“What?” Eresh asked. Mukhang nalito na din sa sinasabi ng kapatid ko. “Let me see.”

Because she’s standing on Gray’s left side, she has to lean in to reach for the mouse. Napasandal si Gray sa upuan n’ya dahil masyadong napalapit sa kanya si Eresh. He had to look away as their faces were only an inch apart.

Eresh read the details of the woman on the screen. Masyado s’yang seryso sa pagbabasa na hindi na napansin ang distansya nila ng kapatid ko. Or she doesn’t really give that much thought about.

I looked at my brother. I noticed him staring at her, adoration was in his eyes. I chuckled before hitting the back of his head, hard enough that his head bobbed.

“Aray ko naman, Kuya.” reklamo n’yang nakasimangot sa akin habang sapo-sapo ang nasaktang parte ng ulo n’ya.

Fuck it. I could tell that he fancies her based on the look in his eyes!

Tangina, may Fourth na ’to!

“Amara Jean Abella.” Eresh mumbled. Sabay kaming napatingin ng kapatid ko sa kanya lalo na nang basta na lang s’yang tumawa. “Oh my God!”

She stood straight as she laughed. My brother sighed like he’s finally able to breathe now that they have enough distance between them.

“Bakit?” tanong ko kay Eresh.

She looked at me and smirked.

“Amara Jean Abella. She has a five year-old son. Living in Canada. But six years ago, she worked under a certain Attorney Kylo Villaraza.”

Eresh chuckled again. Para bang nakakatuwa talaga ang impormasyon na iyon. But I tried to think about what she said. Why would someone like the one on the computer screen be in the list of the families of the EL Ordre?

And that’s when I realized everything.

That fucking bastard Villaraza.

V found out that Ishtar was helping us when Yucca snucked in the EL Ordre’s hideout one day. They were too careless! I had to hit V’s on the part of her neck to make her go unconcious as we wouldn’t want her to call the rest of the team!

“Oh my God, Tracer!” pabulong na tili ni Ishtar nang bumagsak si V sa mga bisig ko. “What did you do?!”

“Pinatulog ko lang s’ya! You two were so careless! Paano kung nakasigaw s’ya at magtawag ng iba? Sira ang plano na’tin!”

Ishtar didn’t mind what I’ve said as checked on V’s pulse. May kung ano-ano pa s’yang ginawa hanggang sa samaan n’ya ako ng tingin.

“That’s dangerous! She’s pregnant, Tracer! You could’ve damage her brain hitting that nerve!” she hissed.

“What do you what me to do? Hayaan s’yang tawagin ang iba at masira ang plano na’tin ? I don’t have any tranquilizer in me!”

“No tranc either!” she said. “Just freaking punch her in the face! Diba may nakakatulog sa ganoon even without exerting too much force? Mas safe ’yon instead of hitting that nerve in her neck that could’ve damage her brain!”

Hindi makapaniwalang napatingin ako sa kanya.

“You want me to hit a woman?” I asked, bewildered.

“If you don’t have any idea on how to make a pregnant woman unconscious without using a tranquilizer that might affect the baby and hitting her nerve in the neck that might damage her brain, then freaking yes!”

We consulted Eresh about V. She said that it’s better if we took V with us back in the new hideout of the Red Faction. We don’t have any choice. Alam na n’yang tinutulungan namin si Violet na tingin n’ya ay traydor pa rin.

“V could help us with our acting.” Eresh said. “She’s always overreacting with situations and the gamemaster will think that we’re still with him because of V’s reactions. Let’s just deal with her when the game ends.”

Thus, we execute our plan. Alter was the one who monitored our family and contacted the people na ipinadala ng President, while Gray, Eresh, Violet and I were busy dealing with the EL Ordre and the gamemaster. At kapag nasiguro na naming ligtas na ang mga pamilya namin at ang EL Ordre ay doon na kami kikilos para kalabanin ang gamemaster.

“What about the goons waiting at the rooftop?” Violet asked.

“Let me do something about it.” Ishtar said. Duda man sa kung anong pwede n’yang gawin ay ipinaubaya pa rin namin sa kanya iyon.

It was a perfect plan. We polished everything, making sure that no one will die in the EL Ordre or the Red Faction. We even locked V up to protect her and her baby. But there’s still something that didn’t go according to our plan.

“Kuya… Violet is dead.”

I cursed when I heard Gray’s voice from my nano earpiece that nobody would’ve noticed me wearing. I was at the EL Ordre’s hideout with them, preparing for this endgame. Siniguro kong lahat sila ay pupunta doon sa bagong hideout ng Red Faction. Even Ishtar convinced them that she wanted to go. S’ya na lang daw ang magbabantay sa sasakyan habang wala sila.

I looked at Ishtar. I know that she also heard what Gray said but she stopped herself from making any reactions. But I know… I know that she’s keeping all her emotions inside of her. Just like what I’m doing.

Another one had to sacrifice again. But we have to continue with our plan. We were finally at the end. The moment we’ve all been waiting for.

We wouldn’t let Violet’s sacrifice go to waste.

And so, finally, we have successfully checkmated the gamemaster.

Chapter 48

“Meet Leto”

Simula pagkabata ay nasaksihan ko ang pagtulong ng mga magulang ko sa mga taong nangangailangan. Sa mga taong mahihirap at naghihikahos sa buhay. We were rich pero hindi naging dahilan iyon para maging matapobre ang mga magulang ko. Palagi nilang ibinabahagi ang mga biyayang natatanggap nila sa mga tao.

That’s why my parents became my role model, especially my father.

Isang gobernador ang ama ko sa lalawigan namin. The people loved and adored him. Minahal ng mga tao ang pamilya namin dahil sa pagiging matulungin ng mga magulang ko. Dahil kapag may nanghihingi ng tulong pinansyal sa kanila ay hindi sila magdadalawang-isip na tulungan ang taong iyon.

I was proud of having a kind and helpful parents.

“Always help the people in need. Kung kaya mo, tulungan mo ang mga nangangailangan.”

Iyon ang palaging sinasabi sa akin ng ama ko kaya tumatak na iyon sa isipan ko. At a young age, I learned how to share my blessing. Ibinibigay ko sa mga kaklase ko ang baon ko kapag nakikita kong wala silang makain kapag recess time namin. At kapag hindi kasya ay ako pa mismo ang bumibili ng pagkain nila sa school canteen namin.

My classmates loved and adored me too. Nagkaroon ako ng maraming kaibigan simula nang sundin ko ang payo ng ama ko. I had a happy childhood because of him.

“Bakit hindi mo subukang tumakbo bilang Presidente, Gov?”

Napatigil ako at tinignan ang babaeng nagsabi ng ganoon sa ama ko. Nandoon kami sa covert court at namamahagi ng mga relief goods para sa mga nasalanta ng bagyo.

Ang daming mga bahay ang nasira pero nangako ang ama ko na tutulong s’ya para makapagpagawa ng bagong tirahan ang mga nabiktima ng bagyo. Kaya nang sabihin n’yang gagawa s’ya ng proyekto na pa-housing sa kanila ay laking tuwa naman ng mga tao. Kaya nakapagsalita ng ganoon ang isa sa kanila.

Tinitigan ko ang ama ko. He smiled. Halata ang pagod dahil sa wala pang tulog. Simula kahapon ay abala na s’ya para sa operasyong ito. Tumulong din s’ya sa pagbabalot ng mga relief goods na ipamamahagi para sa mga nasalanta at isang oras lamang nakapagpahinga bago kami pumunta dito.

He’s wearing a dark blue polo shirt. Dapat ay puti pero ang sabi n’ya ay dark colors daw para hindi masyadong halata ang dumi. Parang daw kasing ipinapahalata pa ang pagtulong kapag may makakita sa dumi kung puti nga ang isusuot namin. That’s why he suggested a dark colored polo shirt.

“Oo nga, Gov. Maraming susuporta sa’yo. Marami kang taga-hanga kahit hindi taga-rito sa lalawigan natin.” segunda pa noong isa.

“Ang dami ngang humihiling na sana ay katulad mo rin daw ang namumuno sa lungsod nila. Hindi ’yung ibinubulsa lang ang pera ng mga taong-bayan.”

Ngumiti lang ang ama ko at hindi na nagkomento tungkol doon. Ipinagpatuloy n’ya ang pamamahagi ng ayuda sa mga nasalanta.

“Bakit hindi mo subukan?” tanong sa kanya ni Mama habang naghahapunan kami matapos ang araw na iyon.

“Masyadong mabigat ang tungkulin kung buong bansa na ang hahawakan ko.” sabi ng ama ko.

“Pero hindi ka tumanggi.” my mother said after she drank her water. “Ibig sabihin ay kinokonsidera mo rin?”

My father nodded. “Dumaan na din sa isip ko ang ideyang ’yan. Pero sa tuwing naiisip ko na maari kong mabibigo ang buong Pilipinas kapag ako na ang nakaupo ay umaatras ako.”

Tahimik lang akong kumakain habang nakikinig sa usapan ng mga magulang ko. Masyado pa akong bata para makisali sa ganoong usapan. I was just an eight year-old kid pero kahit ganoon ay maaga akong minulat ng mga magulang ko sa pagtulong sa kapwa.

“Huwag kang mag-isip ng negatibo. Ang isipin mo ay kung ano ba ang gusto mo.” mahinahong sabi ni Mama sa ama ko. “Hindi ba ang gusto mo ay tumulong sa kapwa? Sa mga mahihirap? Kaya nga kita minahal dahil napakabuti mo. Bonus na lang ’yung itsura mo.”

My father smiled at her. Ginagap n’ya ang kamay ni Mama at hindi nagsalita. Nahalata ko ang pangamba sa mga mata n’ya dahil sa pinag-uusapan namin kaya ipinatong ni Mama ang isa pa n’yang kamay sa ibabaw ng kamay ng ama kong nakahawak sa kanya.

“Your goal is to create a place where no person will cry for food anymore. Iyong wala nang magugutom. Kaya alam kong nararapat para sa’yo ang maging Presidente.”

My father sighed before she smiled. “Magiging abala ako sa pangangampanya. Mas lalo akong mawawalan ng oras sa inyo.”

“E’di sasamahan ka na lang po naming mangampanya.” sabi ko habang ngumunguya. “Para sama-sama tayo, hindi ba po?”

Ngumiti sa akin ang mga magulang ko.

“Talaga? Tutulungan mo ako?” my father asked merrily. “Aba’y kung gano’n ay tatakbo na nga ako bilang Presidente. Sigurado na ang panalo ko kung tutulungan ako ng pogi kong anak.”

Natawa ni Mama sa kanya. Isa ang gabing iyon sa mga hindi ko makakalimutan. Dahil doon nagsimula ang lahat.

Tumakbo nga sa pagka-Presidente ng bansa ang ama ko at palagi kaming nakaagapay ni Mama sa likod n’ya. Sa bawat pagharap n’ya sa tao ay nandoon kami sa tabi n’ya para ipakita ang suporta namin sa kanya. At naging dahilan din iyon para mas marami pang sumuporta sa ama ko. Dahil nakikita nila na isa s’yang mabuting haligi ng tahanan dahil sa amin ni Mama. Kung sa bahay at lalawigan namin ay mabuti s’yang namumuno, paano pa raw kaya kung buong bansa na.

Dahil maraming taga-suporta ay palaging s’ya ang nangunguna sa mga pulse survey na ginagawa ng media. Halatang-halata na ang panalo n’ya.

At sa pagdami ng mga taga-suporta n’ya ay s’ya ring pagdami ng mga kaaway n’ya. Mga kaaway na nangamba sa dami ng mga taong nagmamahal sa ama ko.

“Sayang si Gov. Napakabuting tao pa naman.”

“Kaya nga, eh. Hindi ko akalain na ang aga n’yang mawawala.”

“Dumami ang kaaway, eh. Maraming natakot na baka matalo sila sa eleksyon.”

“Sigurado na kasi ang panalo ni Gov. Kaya ’ayan, pinatumba ng kalaban.”

Hindi ko pinansin ang bulung-bulungan ng mga tao sa paligid ko at pinanatili ang titig ko sa kabaong na nasa harapan ko. Sa kabaong kung saan nakikita ko ang walang buhay na katawan ng ama ko.

Ang aking ina ay abala sa pagharap sa mga taong nakikiramay. Pinipilit ang ngumiti para sa kanila. Pero kapag wala nang tao, kapag ang akala n’ya ay tulog na ako. Naririnig ko ang pag-iyak n’yang punong-puno ng hinagpis. At sa bawat pagtingin n’ya sa kabaong ng ama ko ay palaging tumutulo ang mga luha n’ya na agad n’yang itinatago sa akin.

“Kung sino pa ang mabait, s’ya pa ang naagrabyado.”

“Pero sino sa tingin mo ang nagpapatay kay Gov?”

“E’di syempre ’yung mas magkaka-benepisyo kapag nawala si Gov! ’Yung pumapangalawa sa survey!”

“Shh… Tumahimik nga kayo. Baka marinig kayo n’ung bata.”

Naikuyom ko ang maliliit kong mga kamao dahil sa mga naririnig ko. Hindi ako bingi. Hindi ako bulag. Kapag may pagkakataon silang pag-usapan ay pinag-uusapan nila ang pagkamatay ng ama. At pagkatapos ay titignan nila ako ng may awa sa mga mata nila na labis kong ikinakagalit.

Hindi ko kailangan ng awa nila.

Naramdaman ako ang pagtahimik ng paligid bago sinundan ng bulung-bulungan dahil sa bagong bisitang dumating. Dahan-dahan kong nilingon ang entrada ng memorial chapel na iyon. Nakita ko ang kalaban ng ama ko sa pangangampanya.

Manuel Guerrero. Iyong pumapangalawa sa ama ko. At nang kinamayan n’ya si Mama at bumati ng pakikiramay ay hindi ko na napigilan ang galit na umusbong sa dibdib ko. Tumayo ako at sinugod s’ya.

“Huwag ka dito! Pinatay mo ang ama ko! Ikaw ang pumatay sa kanya! Huwag ka dito!” Paulit-ulit kong sabi habang sinusubukang suntukin s’ya. Pero dahil batang paslit pa lamang ay hanggang bewang n’ya lang ang inaabot ng mga suntok ko.

Nagkagulo doon sa burol. Ang mga bodyguards ni Manuel Guerrero ay marahas akong inihiwalay sa kanya kaya may kumuha sa akin at itinago ako sa likuran nila. Pero umusbong ulit ang galit ko nang makitang humihingi pa ng dispensa ang nanay ko dahil sa ginawa ko. Sinubukan ko ulit sumugod kay Manuel Guerrero.

“Joselito!” galit na saway sa akin ni Mama. Napatingin ako sa kanya at nakita ang pinipigilan n’yang luha. May galit din sa mga mata n’yang alam kong hindi para sa akin.

Alam n’ya. Alam din n’yang ang taong iyon ang pumatay sa ama ko. Pero pinipigilan n’ya ang sarili n’yang galit.

Kung hindi sinubukan ng ama ko na tumakbo sa pagka-Presidente, sana ay buhay pa s’ya ngayon. Kung hindi s’ya naging mabait at nag-isip na mas marami pang natulungan, sana ay hindi na nangyari ’to. Hindi sana ako nawalan ng ama.

Namatay si Mama ilang buwan lang ang nakalipas matapos mailibing ng ama ko dahil sa pagkakasakit dulot ng depresyon. Hindi kinaya ni Mama ang lungkot at sakit ng pagkawala ng asawa n’ya. At marahil, sinisisi n’ya ang sarili n’ya dahil s’ya ang nagtulak sa ama ko na tumakbo sa pagka-Presidente na naging dahilan ng pagkamatay n’ya.

At dahil doon, nagbago ang pananaw ko. Na kung walang taong hayok at sakim sa kapangyarihan, hindi mamamatay ang ama ko. Kung walang demonyong nagpapatay sa kanya, maayos sana ang lahat ngayon.

Dahil bata pa at walang gustong kumukop sa akin sa mga kamag-anak ko dahil sa takot na madamay sa away pulitika, kinuha ako ng DSWD. Isinama ako sa mga batang iniwan ng mga magulang. Mga batang walang mag-aalaga at hindi kayang tumayo sa sarili nilang mga paa.

“Laro tayo!”

Napatingin ako sa batang lumapit sa akin. May hawak s’yang dalawang manikang pambabae sa mga kamay n’ya. Ang isa ay iniaabot sa akin. Hindi ko s’ya pinansin at tumingin sa malayo.

“Dali na, laro na tayo.” sabi ulit ng batang babae na inilapit pa ang manika sa mukha ko.

“Ano ba?!” Sa sobrang inis ay tinabig ko ang kamay n’ya. Tumalsik ang manika sa malayo.

Umiyak ang batang babae kaya mas lalo pa akong nainis. Sinamaan ko s’ya ng tingin bago galit na naglakad palayo dahil ang ibang mga bata ay natigil sa paglalaro nila at napunta sa amin ang atensyon.

Galit na galit ako sa mundo. Sa mga magulang ko na maaga akong iniwan. Sa mga kamag-anak ko na hinayaang tumira ako kasama ang mga taong hindi ko kilala. Sa gobyerno. Kay Manuel Guerrero. Kinain ng galit ang puso ko at wala akong kinausap. Wala ding sumubok na makipag-usap sa akin dahil sa takot nilang masinghalan ko.

Maliban sa makulit na batang babaeng iyon.

“Sorry.” sabi n’ya isang araw nang muling lumapit sa akin. “Ang sabi ni Sister Wilma, nagalit ka daw dahil pambabaeng laruan ang pinapalaro ko sa’yo. Kaya ’eto, oh. Nagdala ako ng kotse-kotsehan para sa’yo.”

Inilabas n’ya ang laruang kotse na itinatago n’ya sa likuran n’ya at nakangiting ipinakita sa akin. Halata pa rin ang takot sa kanya pero naglakas-loob na kausapin ako.

“Laro na tayo?” she asked at muli akong nginitian pagkatapos.

Ang batang babae ang naging kalaro ko sa bahay-ampunan na iyon. Kahit na hindi n’ya ako kilala ay niyaya pa rin akong makipaglaro sa kanya. Hindi ko nakitaan ng pagkaawa ang mga mata n’ya habang nakatingin sa akin. She was pure and genuine.

Unti-unti kong tinanggap na ang bahay-ampunan na ang bagong tirahan ko. Si Sofia, ang batang babae, lang ang nagtyagang kausapin ako at yayaing maglaro. Ang akala ko ay magiging maayos ang lahat. Pero hindi pala.

Nandoon kami sa sala lahat at nanonood nang ibinalita ang pagkapanalo ni Manuel Guerrero bilang Presidente ng bansa. Agad na naglingunan sa akin ang lahat pagkatapos ng balitang iyon. May awa sa mga mata nilang lahat.

Maliban kay Sofia na katabi ko at nagtatakang tumingin sa akin.

“Bakit nakatingin silang lahat sa akin?” she even asked. Akala ay s’ya ang tinitignan ng lahat.

Nagkulong ako sa kwarto pagkatapos noon para pakalmahin ang sarili ko dahil baka magwala lang ako doon. Hindi ko kinaya ang balita. Bumalik ang sakit na dulot ng pagkawala ng mga magulang ko.

Hindi ko maintindihan. Paano s’ya nanalo? Paano nanalo ang tulad n’yang mamamatay-tao? He killed my father! Pinatay n’ya para walang sagabal sa pagkapanalo n’ya! He stole the position that was meant for my father!

How could the people still support a murderer like him? Hindi ba nila alam ang ginawa n’ya sa ama ko? I thought that they loved my father? Tumulong s’ya sa mga tao pero ito ang makukuha n’ya? Ang suportahan ng lahat ang taong pumatay sa kanya?

Hindi ba nila alam iyon o masyado silang bobo?

Tumakas ako sa bahay-ampunan ng gabi ding iyon. Hindi ko matanggap ang nangyari sa pamilya ko. Hindi ko matanggap ang pagiging traydor ng mga taong tinulungan nila. Para silang mga linta. Doon kakapit kung saan sila mabubusog kahit nakagawa ng kasamaan ang taong iyon sa taong totoong nagkalinga sa kanila.

Gaganti ako. Igaganti ko ang pamilya ko.

So I plotted my revenge. I learned every illegal things, how to hack, how to use a gun, how to fight. Madali lang maghanap ng mga taong magtuturo sa aking sa lugar na natuklasan ko. Ang underground.

Doon, marami ang mga halang ang kaluluwa. Alam kong maari akong mapahamak at mamatay sa paglapit sa kanila pero ano pa bang mawawala sa akin? Ang gusto ko na lang ay ang maipaghiganti ang mga magulang ko. Ang sirain si Manuel Guerrero at ang pamilya n’yang sumunod sa mga yapak n’ya. Ang mg anak at apo n’yang tumakbo din sa pagka-Presidente.

Ang sirain ang buong gobyerno na hawak nila.

At para magawa ko iyon ay kinailangan kong gumawa ng bagong katauhan.

“Manuel na lang ho, Mr. President.” pakilala ko sa bagong Presidente na apo ni Manuel Guerrero.

“Kapangalan mo ang Lolo ko. The late President.”

Ngumiti lang ako at hindi na nagkomento. Nakita kong pinasadahan n’ya ako ng tingin mula ulo hanggang paa.

“Ang bata mo pa. Ilang taon ka na?” he asked.

“Twenty-eight, Sir.”

Tumingin s’ya sa taong nasa tabi ko. “Ang bata pa nito. Sigurado ka bang magaling ’to?” the President asked to the man.

“Yes, Sir. Siguradong-sigurado.”

The President looked at me and studied me. Maya-maya ay tumango at kinonsidera ang sinabi ng taong nasa tabi ko.

“Alright. Alam mo na siguro ang gagawin mo, hindi ba? You will do illegal and dangerous things for the government. For me. Including hacking, killing people. Kaya mo ba iyon?”

Hindi nawala ang ngiti ko nang sinagot ko s’ya. “I promise to do best in my job, Mr. President.”

For years, I did errands for the President. Kahit labag sa loob ko ay gumawa ako ng mga ilegal na bagay para sa kanya. Pikit-mata kong sinunod ang mga utos n’ya. Ng apo ng taong pumatay sa ama ko.

But I willed myself to be patient. Best revenge takes time.

Keep your friends close, and enemies closer.

Habang ginagawa iyon ay pinag-aralan ko ang takbo sa loob ng gobyerno para malaman kung paano kokontrolin iyon. I studied every dirty secrets of the government. I learned that there were people inside the government that was against the President. And soon, I planned to take them to my side.

Hindi ako titigil hangga’t hindi nauubos ang lahi ng Manuel Guerrerong ’yon. Kahit patay na s’ya, sinisiguro kong maghihirap ang pamilya n’ya.

Another Guerrero became the President of the country at dahil tiwala na sa akin ang mga Guerrero ay hindi nila ako inalis sa posisyon bilang undercover nila. Everything was going well according to my plan, not until he hired people to help the government too. Mga taong may iba’t-ibang mga lahi. Iyon daw ang paraan n’ya sa pakikipagkasundo sa ibang bansa. Dahil kapalit ng mga taong ipinadala nila para tumulong sa gobyerno ay ang pagtulong din nila sa mga bansang iyon.

“Manuel, I want you to handle them.” the President said when he talked to me one time. “Guide them. Sa iyo ko ibibigay ang lahat ng ipag-uutos ko dahil sa’yo lang ako tiwala. I still can’t trust those people.”

Ibinigay n’ya sa akin ang mga folder na naglalaman ng mga impormasyon ng mga taong iyon. Wala pa man ay gusto ko nang mangiti.

“I trust you on this, Manuel.” the President said habang titig na titig sa mga mata ko.

I smiled at him. “Makakaasa ka, Mr. President.”

Nang mapag-isa ay isa-isa kong pinag-aralan ang profile ng mga taong iyon. I hacked and took every information I need to know about them.

Napangisi ako. Maari ko silang magamit sa mga plano ko.

Chapter 49

I could use these people to control the government. Maaari kong makontrol ang gobyerno nang hindi nila nalalaman gamit ang mga taong ito kung makakagawa lang ako ng solidong plano. They were supposed to help the government pero ang hindi nila alam, sila ang magiging kasiraan nila.

Mabuti na lang at alam ko na ang galawan sa loob ng gobyerno. Sa nakalipas na mga taon ay iyon ang pinag-aralan kong mabuti. Para mas makontrol ko sila nang walang nagiging problema.

It became a big advantage that the Guerreros trusted me. Ibinigay nila ang tiwala sa akin. Lahat ng mga ilegal na transaksyon ng Presidente ay sakin n’ya ipinapahawak. Sa akin ipinaasikaso. At halos matawa ako dahil alam na alam ko na ang baho ng bawat isa sa gobyerno.

I could also use these informations. Anytime.

May mga pagkakataon na para sa mabuti ang ipinapautos sa akin. Mga ilegal na gawain na hindi kayang hawakan ng mga pulis. Mga gawain na kinakailangan ng talino at bilis na kung hindi ay mabubulilyaso ang  misyon.

I did all those missions for him. Para sa kaaway ko. Para ipalabas na maayos ang pamamalakad ng mga taong nakaupo sa pwesto. Para ipalabas na maayos silang pinuno ng bansa.

Pero dahil malaya akong nakakagalaw sa loob ng gobyerno, alam na alam ko ang likaw ng mga bituka nila.

They were corrupt and always use their powers and privilages as their own benefit. Na pagkatapos silang iluklok ng mga tao sa pwestong iyon ay makakapal pa ang mukha nilang pagnakawan ang mga sumuporta sa kanila. Pero dahil ako ang tagalinis ng mga dumi nila, akala ng mga mamamayan na tama ang naging desisyon nilang iboto ang mga nakaupo sa gobyerno.

The Guerreros took over the goverment. Ang mga tumatakbong Guerrero ay palaging nananalo. Hinayaan ko silang magpakasaya muna dahil alam kong magagawa kong pabagsakin ang pamilya nila. Hanggang sa wala na silang mukhang ihaharap sa mga tao. Hanggang sa magmakaawa silang patayin ko na lang silang lahat.

I will patiently wait for that day to come.

“I’m so fucking tired of cleaning their shits.”  Darker said as he sat at one of those seats.

Tinitigan ko sila isa-isa. They were wearing a black mask that covered half of their face. Mata lang ang makikita sa kanila at ang iba ay nagsuot ng contact lens para hindi makilala dahil iba ang kulay ng mga mata sa pangkaraniwan. But I knew each one of them. Kilala ko silang lahat at napag-aralan na ang mga buhay nila.

I should learn and study the lives of the pieces that I will use, shouldn’t I?

Panther scoffed. He was playing a dagger with his hands. “That’s our mission. To clean all their shits para ipalabas sa mga tao na malinis ang gobyerno nila.”

“Pero kapag tayo ang nahuli, tayo ang lalabas na masama? The fuck is wrong with their minds?” inis na patuloy ni Darker. “Tayo ang tumutulong! Kung wala tayo ay malalaman ng mga tao kung gaano kabulok ang gobyerno nila! Na walang pakialam ang mga nakaupo sa itaas doon sa mga nasa ibaba!”

“They do care!” Demeter said. “If not, then they wouldn’t bother hiring us to extinguish the evil.”

Natawa si Wolf sa sinabi n’ya. “Evil? Anong akala mo sa atin? Mga anghel?”

“This is why I hate working with women.” sabi ni Darker na pinasadahan ng tingin si Demeter mula ulo hanggang paa. “They don’t know how to separate their emotions with work.”

“Oh! So you’re a misogynist!” Demeter said, full so sarcasm. “I hate working with men too ’cause they always act all high and mighty thinking that women will always bow down before them and will follow everything they say! When in fact, men are all trash.”

“You, bitch!”

Napigilan nila Rider at Jaguar si Darker bago pa s’ya makalapit kay Demeter. Habang ang babae ay humalukipkip pa at mayabang na tinignan ang lalaki na ngayon ay kulang na lang na magwala habang galit na nakatingin sa kanya.

“Bakit? Natapakan ko ba ang ego mo dahil alam mong totoo ang mga sinabi ko?” si Demeter na ayaw pang tumigil sa pang-aasar sa lalaki.

“Bitch!” Darker spat at her. “I fucking hate women ’cause they’re all so weak! Ang may silbi lang naman sa inyo ay ang bagay na nasa pagitan ng mga hita n’yo! Just use your fucking pussy to resolve everything!”

“Asshole!” sigaw ni Demeter na mukhang nainsulto sa sinabi ni Darker.

I looked at Rogue. Nakatingin lang sa sa mga taong nag-aaway sa harapan n’ya. I smirked behind my mask that covers my face.

I knew Rogue was just pretending as a man. She’s smart. Alam n’yang mamaliitin s’ya sa pagiging babae n’ya dahil dito sa trabahong pinasok n’ya.

“Where the fuck is Leto anyway?” asked Rider. Luminga-linga pa s’ya para hanapin ang taong hinahanap na hindi nila alam na nasa harapan lang nila.

Me as their gamemaster.

Saber shrugged his shoulders. “Who knows? Maybe he’s doing another mission again. Alam mo naman iyon, masyadong sunud-sunuran sa gobyerno.

Rider chuckled with his remarks. “A good example of a blind follower.”

Iyon ang pagkilala nila sa isang Leto. Na isang asong sunud-sunuran sa sinasabi ng gobyerno. The President’s dog. Hindi nila alam na isa rin iyong palabas para sa susunod ko pang mga plano.

I made a deal with those people inside the government na gustong sumabotahe sa Presidente. It wasn’t that hard to find President’s enemies. Dahil karamihan sa kanila ay nakaupo na mismo sa loob ng gobyerno. Ang iba ay nasa tabi na mismo ng Presidente. Kagaya ko.

“Hindi ba pwedeng kalimutan mo na lang ang tungkol sa paghihiganti mo?”

Agad akong napatingin sa babaeng nasa tabi ko. Halos hindi mapaniwalaan ang mga salitang lumabas sa bibig n’ya.

Si Sofia. Ang batang babae sa ampunan at ang tanging taong nagtyagang lapitan at kilalanin ako. Matapos ang ilang mga taon ay nagtagpo ulit ang mga landas namin. Naging magkaibigan. Nakahanap ako ng taong muling magmamahal at mag-aalaga sa akin matapos ng nangyari sa mga magulang ko. Matapos ang ilang taong pagiging mag-isa ko. Hanggang sa isiniwalat ko ang tungkol sa nakaraan ko sa kanya. Pati na rin ang paghihiganti ko.

Ang akala ko ay maiintindihan n’ya ako kaya ibinahagi ko sa kanya ang lahat. Alam n’ya kung gaanong sakit ang naramdaman ko dahil sa ginawa ng mga Guerrero sa pamilya ko. Pero mukhang nagkamali ako.

“Anong sinabi mo?” sabi ko at bumangon mula sa pagkakahiga. “Pakiulit dahil mukhang mali ako ng pagkakadinig.”

Bumuntong-hininga s’ya. Bumangon at ang kumot ay itinikip sa hubad n’yang katawan.

“Itigil mo na ang paghihiganti mo.” she said. “Alam kong nasaktan ka at naghirap pero masyado ka nang kinakain ng galit mo, Joselito. Punong-puno na ng galit ang puso mo at kailangan mo nang bitiwan ang emosyon na iyon para malayang makapamuhay.”

“Malaya?!” hindi ko napigilan ang pagtaas ng boses ko. “Hindi ako magiging malaya hangga’t nabubuhay ang angkan ng mga Guerrerong ’yon! Hanggang nandito sila, hindi ako matatahimik matapos ng ginawa nila sa pamilya ko!”

“Patay na ang taong pumatay sa ama mo.” katwiran n’ya. “Huwag mong idamay ang mga taong inosente.”

“Hindi sila inosente! Katulad lang sila ng Manuel Guerrero na iyon na sakim sa kapangyarihan! Hangga’t may Guerrero na pumapasok sa politiko, hinding-hindi ako titigil!”

“Pero—”

“Ang mabuti pa umalis ka na, Sofia.” putol ko sa anumang sasabihin n’ya. “Umalis ka na at huwag ka nang magpapakita sa akin.”

Bumalatay ang sakit sa mukha n’ya dahil sa mga sinabi ko. Pinigilan ko ang sarili kong bawiin iyon at mas pinabato ang puso ko.

I’ve already come this far. Malapit ko nang mapabagsak ang mga kaaway ko kaya hinding-hindi ako papayag na pigilan ako ng kahit sino.

“Paano kung walang manalo at hindi namin matapos ang laro?” tanong ni Panther matapos kong ipaliwanag sa kanila ang Human Chess game na kailangan nilang laruin.

Gaya ng plinano ko, nahati sa dalawa ang grupo dahil sa hindi nila pagkakasundo. Ang EL Ordre na s’yang patuloy na susuporta at magpoprotekta sa gobyerno. They will continue to help the government to make the country better for its people.

At ang Red Faction na susubukang isabotahe ang mga misyon ng EL Ordre. Ang grupo na salungat sa paniniwala ng EL Ordre. Ang grupo na kagaya ko ay nakita ang kasamaan ng mga taong nakaupo sa gobyerno.

Labanan ng lakas at estratehiya. At utak dahil hindi ipapaalam sa kalaban kung ano ang posisyon nila bilang chess pieces.

“Then just like how you will pass down your role as a secret agent to your child, you will have to pass down your position as a chess piece as well.” sagot ko kay Panther.

“Madadamay ang mga anak namin?” tanong ni Jaguar.

Ngumisi ako. “Hindi, kung matatapos n’yo ang laro at matatalo ang kalaban.” I stared at them. “Leto will be in EL Ordre.”

“Figures.” Wolf said.

“And Darker will be in Red Faction.” pagpapatuloy ko para sa dalawang taong kanina pa nila hinahanap. Isinabay ko ang pag-uusap na ito sa ibinigay kong misyon kay Darker para hindi sila magtaka sa pagiging wala ni Leto na s’yang ako.

“ Segui EL Ordre per vivere. “ Rider said. “Follow the order to live. Walang masama sa pagsunod. You can live peacefully if you just know how to follow the rules.”

“ Sapientem uno semper vincit. “ Saber said. “The wise ones always wins. Kapag matalino ka at alam mo kung paano gamitin ang utak mo, then you can survive anything in this world.”

I smirked. Tama. Kung matalino ka, kaya mong lamangan ang kalaban mo. 

Sa pamamagitan ng Human Chess game, makokontrol ko ang gobyerno. Gamit ang mga taong ’to. They will be my human pawns.

“Python. Anong sadya mo?”

Nakatingin ako sa screen ng laptop dahil biglang bumungad doon si Python, the Red Faction’s Rook, at sinabing gusto raw akong makausap. Kahit na natatabingan ng itim na tela ang ibabang bahagi ng mukha ay makikita ko ang kaseryosohan sa mga mata n’ya.

“I want out of the game.” diretso n’yang sabi ng walang pag-aalinlangan. Napataas ang kilay ko. Hindi inaasahan ang sinabi n’ya.

“Maari ko bang malaman ang rason?”

“I want a peaceful life for my family.” he said. “Hindi ganitong magulo. Pumayag akong tumulong sa gobyerno nitong bansa pero hindi sa larong ito.”

“But you are against the government.”

“Yes.” ang matapat n’yang sabi. “Kaya nga hindi lang sa laro ako bumibitiw. I am resigning as a secret agent as well.”

I clenched my jaw. Pinigilan ko ang galit ko at alam kong walang kaala-aalam ang lalaking nakabungad sa sceen ng laptop sa kung anong emosyon ang pinapakita ng mukha ko dahil natatabingan iyon ng maskara.

“Ayoko ng magulong buhay para sa pamilya ko. Lalo na at may anak akong walong taong gulang na. Ayokong ipasa sa kanya ang ganitong buhay na mas pinagulo pa ng larong sinimulan mo.”

Damn it. Hindi ko inaasahan ang ganitong mangyayari.

“Hindi maari.” I said. “The game already started. At ang tanging paraan na lang para makaalis sa laro ay ang matalo ang isa sa inyo.”

Nakipagmatigasan sa akin ng tingin si Python. Maya-maya ay napansin ko ang pagngisi n’ya sa kabila ng tabing ng itim na tela sa kanyang bibig.

“Then I have no choice but to tell about this to the President.” he said. “Hindi n’ya alam ang tungkol dito, hindi ba? That makes me think that you’re actually against them too.”

I cursed under my breath. Nakita ko ang katuwaan sa mukha n’ya dahil doon.

“Let me out of the game, gamemaster. I swear the government will never know that this game even exists.” Python warned.

Hindi pwede. Walang pwedeng umalis. Solido na ang plano ko. Kumpleto na ang mga chess pieces ko. Ang mga taong gagamitin ko para makontrol ang gobyerno. Kapag nawala ang isa ay magkukulang ng myembro ang Red Faction kaya sigurado akong magkakagulo.

Hindi rin maaaring malaman ng gobyerno tungkol sa laro. Makakahalata agad sila na ginagawa ko ito para isabotahe sila. Na imbes na tulungan sila ng mga taong ito ay gagamitin ko sila para ilabas ang baho ng gobyerno.

Hindi pwede. Malayo na ang narating ko. Malapit nang matapos ang laro at Red Faction ang lamang. Hindi na ako pwedeng pumalpak pa.

Natagpuan ko na lamang ang sarili ko sa harap ng isang bahay at kanina pa pinagmamasdan ang nakasaradong pinto doon. Mula sa labas ay dinig ang tawa ng babaeng ilang taon ko ring hindi narinig.

Ilang minuto pa at bumukas ang pintuan. Natagpuan ko ang sarili kong nakatitig sa mga mata ng nag-iisang babaeng minahal ko.

“Sofia…”

“Joselito?” hindi makapaniwala n’yang tawag sa pangalan ko. “Anong ginagawa mo dito?”

Ano nga ba?

“Nag-asawa ka na pala.” sa halip ay sabi ko.

Malungkot na ngiti ang ibinigay n’ya sa akin. “Nagpunta ako sa dating tinutuluyan mo para ibigay ang imbitasyon sa kasal namin ng asawa ko pero hindi ka na pala doon nakatira.” she looked at me from head to toe. “Anong nangyari sa’yo?”

Tinitigan ko s’ya at hindi ko napigilan na alalahanin ang mga panahon na magkapiling kami. Hindi ko inaasahan ang panghihinayang na nadarama ko ngayong nandito s’ya sa harapan ko.

Kung pumayag ba ako noon sa sinabi n’ya, kami pa rin kaya hanggang ngayon? Kung sumang-ayon ako sa gusto n’yang itigil ko na ang paghihiganti ko, ako kaya ang mapapangasawa n’ya? Kung mas pinili ko s’ya kaysa sa galit na ilang taon kong inalagaan sa dibdib ko, ako kaya ang makakasama n’ya sa loob ng bahay na ito?

“Hindi pa rin ako tapos sa paghihiganti ko.” pabulong kong sabi. “At sa tingin ko ay mababalewala ang lahat ng mga ginawa ko.”

Lumamlam ang mga mata n’yang nakatingin sa akin. Humakbang s’ya at nang makalapit ay inilapat ang isang palad sa pisngi ko. Hindi ko mapigilan ang mapapikit nang muling madama ang init na nagmumula sa kanya.

“Ang sabi ko’y palayain mo na ang sarili mong galit, Joselito.” she softly said. “Patuloy ka lang masasaktan kung aalagaan mo ang galit d’yan sa puso mo.”

Hindi ako nagsalita at nanatiling napapikit. Ninamnam ko lang ang sandaling ito dahil hindi ko alam kung pagbibigyan pa ako ng pagkakataon na maramdaman ulit ito.

“Nahanap ko na ang kaligayahan ko, Joselito.” dinig kong sabi n’ya. “Masaya na ako sa pamilya ko. At ipapanalangin kong mahanap mo na rin ang iyo dahil naaawa na ako sa kalagayan mo.”

Parang bigla akong binuhusan ng malamig na tubig dahil sa sinabi n’ya. Napadilat ako ng mga mata, nasalubong ang tingin n’yang punong-puno ng awa sa akin. Umatras ako sa kanya ng isang hakbang at pinakatitigan s’ya.

“Anong sabi mo? Naaawa ka sa akin?” parang asidong lumabas ang mga salitang iyon sa bibig ko.

Naalala ko ang mga naaawang tingin sa akin ng mga tao noon. Doon sa burol ng ama ko. Doon noong nilibing ang aking ina at naulila ako. Ang mga naaawang tingin sa akin ng mga tao sa bahay-ampunan nang lumabas sa balitang nanalo si Manuel Guerrero sa pagka-presidente.

At ang tingin ni Sofia sa akin ngayon, ganoon na ganoon.

“Joseli—”

Hindi ko na napigilan ang pag-alpas ng galit ko. Hinawakan ko ang leeg ni Sofia, mahigpit na mahigpit at galit na tumingin sa kanya.

“Hindi ako nakakaawang nilalang! Hindi mangyayari ang lahat ng ito kung hindi pinatay ni Manuel Guerrero ang ama ko!

Pahigpit nang pahigpit ang pagkakasakal ko kay Sofia. Kitang-kita ko kung paano n’ya sinusubukan na kumuha ng hangin para sa baga n’ya. Ang mukha n’ya ay namumula sa paghihirap at ang mga kamay n’ya ay kumakalmot na sa braso ko.

Inisip ko na si Manuel Guerrero ang nasa harapan ko. Ganito ko s’ya gustong patayin. ’Yung mukha n’yang halos magmakaawa nang bitiwan ko s’ya dahil gusto n’ya pang mabuhay. Ganitong-ganito.

Natauhan lang ako nang makitang hindi na gumagalaw si Sofia sa harapan ko. Nakabagsak ang mga kamay sa magkabilang-gilid ng katawan n’ya at ang mga mata ay nakapikit. Hindi na rin s’ya humihinga.

Mabilis ko s’yang binitiwan at bumagsak ang katawan n’ya sa sahig. Nakatitig lang ako sa katawan n’yang wala nang buhay. Halos hindi mapaniwalaan ang nangyari.

Hindi pa man ako nakakabawi ay bumukas ang pintuan ng bahay at lumabas ang isang lalaki doon na sa hula ko ay s’yang asawa ni Sofia, Napatigil s’ya lalo na nang makita si Sofia na nakabulagta sa sahig. Bumalatay ang galit sa mukha n’ya.

“Anong ginawa mo?!” mabilis s’yang lumapit kay Sofia at sinubukan s’yang gisingin.

Nakatingin lang ako sa kanila habang tinatapik n’ya ang pisngi ni Sofia pero hindi talaga s’ya nagdilat ng mga mata. Galit na tumingin sa akin ang lalaki at agad na tumayo para suntukin ako.

“Hayop ka! Papatayin kitang hayop ka!” ang gigil n’yang sabi sa akin at paulit-ulit akong sinuntok.

Patay? Ako mamamatay? Hindi. Hindi pwede. Hindi pa ako tapos maghiganti.

Hindi ko na alam kung anong nangyari at namalayan ko na lang ang sarili ko na nakapaibabaw sa asawa ni Sofia, durog ang ulo nito at hindi na rin humihinga habang may hawak akong malaking bato na may dugo din. Itinapon ko iyon at saka tumayo.

I looked around. Walang tao at lahat ay nasa loob ng kani-kanilang mga bahay. Walang nakakaalam ng krimeng ginawa ko ngayon. Walang makakaalam ng ginawa kong pagpatay.

Hanggang sa makarinig ako ng iyak ng bata na nagmumula sa loob ng bahay. Napatingin ako doon at naisip na kung hindi tatahan ang sanggol ay baka makahalata ang mga kapitbahay kaya mabilis akong pumasok sa loob.

Nakita kong may nakahain na pagkain sa lamesa. Siguro ay kakain pa lang sila ng hapunan nang lumabas si Sofia. Sa malapit ay isang crib at doon nagmumula ang iyak ng sanggol.

Lumapit ako doon at nakita ang sanggol na wala pa yatang isang taong gulang. Umiiyak at ang mga kamay ay nakataas na parang may inaabot. Wala sa sariling ipinahawak ko ang isang daliri kong may dugo sa sanggol na agad na tumigil sa pag-iyak at nagdilat ng mata.

Just like her mother, the baby boy has a hazel brown eyes.

Pinakatitigan ko ang bata at kinarga. Napabuo na naman ng isang desisyon.

I’ll use you. One day, I know that you will be useful to me.

“Nakikita mo ang envelope na nasa harapan mo?” I said to Falcon. Isang araw nang ipinatawag ko s’ya para bigyan ng isang misyon.

“Mortimer Ortega.” basa n’ya sa impormasyon nang inilabas n’ya ang mga papeles sa loob ng envelope.

“He’s the Red Faction’s Rook.” I said. “And I want you to kill him and everyone in his manor.”

Halata ang gulat sa mga mata n’ya dahil sa narinig sa akin. “Pero bakit? Akala ko ba, walang patayan ang larong ito?”

“Kailan pa kayo nagkaroon ng karapatan na kwestyunin ang mga misyon na ibinibigay sa inyo?”

Natahimik s’ya at nakita ko ang pag-aalangan sa mga mata n’ya. Mas lamang ang ayaw n’yang gawin ang misyon kaya nagdesisyon akong bigyan s’ya ng kaunting impormasyon para hindi na s’ya magtaka at baka magkaroon pa ng problema sa hinaharap tungkol dito.

“He’s a threat to the government. At kung hindi papatayin ay marami ang mapapahamak. Iyon lang ang maibibigay ko sa’yo.”

“Hindi ko gusto ang pumatay ng kakampi.” he reasoned out.

“Kalaban mo na s’ya ngayon!” galit kong sabi.

“Pero naging kakampi—”

“I heard you are planning to build a family, Bellucci.”

Nakita ko ang paninigas n’ya dahil sa sinabi ko. Napangisi ako dahil iyon ang inaasahan kong reaksyon.

“If you want your future family to be safe, then do this mission, Falcon. Ipinapangako ko ang kaligtasan ng pamilya mo kapag matagumpay mong naisagawa ito.”

Hindi s’ya umimik at nakita ko ang takot sa mga mata n’ya. EL Ordre… mukhang nahanap ko na ang kahinaan ng bawat isa sa inyo.

Ilang minuto ang lumipas bago s’ya alanganin na tumango. Napangisi ako. “Tayong dalawa lang ang dapat makaalam nito. Tandaan mo, wala kang ititira ni isa sa kanila.”

But that didn’t happen. Naawa si Falcon sa batang walang kamuwang-muwang na nakakita sa ginawa n’yang pagpatay. And I’m actually glad that he didn’t kill the child dahil magagamit ko din s’ya sa tamang panahon.

The Human Chess game became chaotic. Nagalit ang King ng Red Faction dahil sa kaguluhan na iyon ay natapos ang laro sa kabila nang malapit na n’yang pagkapanalo. Pakiramdaman n’ya ay nainsulto s’ya. Inisip na nandaya ang EL Ordre para matapos ang laro at hindi manalo ang Red Faction.

Hindi ko akalain na mas ikinatuwa ko ang mga nangyari. Mas lalong nagkagalit at nahati ang dalawang grupo lalo na nang maghiganti ang Red Faction. Itinuloy ng mga anak nila ang larong dapat ay sila ang tatapos.

The Human Chess game became the Bloody Human Chess game.

Napalitan ang myembro ng bawat grupo ng mga sumunod na henerasyon. Ang EL Ordre ay s’ya pa ring tumutulong sa gobyerno habang mas lalong lumalim ang galit ng Red Faction at sinasabotahe ang bawat misyon nila.

Napalitan din ang rules sa laro. Ngayon ay maaari nang gumamit ng dahas. They can kill the members of their enemies. And anyone could hire a Pawn that they could use even if they were not originally included in the game.

Nagbigay din ako ng rules na bawal alamin ang mga nangyari sa naunang laro. Ang mga misyon na ibinigay ko. Binalaan ko din ang dating mga myembro na huwag makialam sa pagkakataong ito dahil tapos na ang laro na para sa kanila.

Death will be bestowed upon anyone who will go against the rules.

“Do not hesitate to shoot, Archer.” sabi ko sa labing-anim na taong gulang na batang inaalagaan ko. “You are a Pawn. At sa isang segundong pag-aalangan mo ay maaari ka nang mamatay.”

I choose to train Sofia’s child and made him the EL Ordre’s Pawn nang sa gayon ay mayroon akong taong hawak sa magkabilang grupo. Mayroon na rin ako sa Red Faction at sinisiguro kong matutulungan n’ya ako sa mga plano ko.

Binihisan at binigyan ko ng bagong katauhan ang anak ni Sofia. Pinagamit ko sa kanya ang apelyido. Ang apelyido ng ama ko.

Creed looked at me. Wala man lang akong mabanaag na emosyon sa mga mata n’ya habnag nakatingin sa akin. Hindi kagaya nang sa ina n’ya na nag-uumapaw sa emosyon at parang palaging nagniningning ang mga mata.

“Do not hesistate to kill, Creed. In that way, you can survive in this cruel world.”

The Red Faction made its move when they decided to kill the former Rooks. They broke the rules at alam kong kailangan kong patayin ang mga lumabag pero bakit ko gagawin iyon kung ang Red Faction ang gusto kong manalo sa larong ito?

The Red Faction is my way to bring down the government.

“Leto, take care of my brother. Ihahatid ko lang ang tarantadong ’to pabalik sa mission n’ya.” ang sabi ni Tracer sa gabi nang patayin ang mga magulang n’ya at iniwan ni Archer ang mission n’ya para tulungan s’ya.

Tumingin ako sa batang nasa tabi ko nang makaalis sina Tracer, Aius at Archer. Mahigpit na mahigpit ang hawak sa manika kaya lumabas na ang bulak noon sa loob. Halata ang takot dahil sa panginginig ng katawan.

“Your brother left you… Again.” sabi ko at umupo sa tabi n’ya. Pinakatitigan ko ang bata. S’ya ang pinakabatang mapapasali sa laro kung sakaling pumayag si Tracer na isali itong kapatid n’ya. At sinisiguro kong mawawalan s’ya ng pagpipilian kundi ang isali na lang itong batang ito sa laro.

Ang mga bata ay madaling turuan. They’re easy to mold to the way you wanted them to be. Gaya ni Archer na ngayon ay halimaw kung pumatay.

“Pinabayaan ka ulit n’ya.” I said. “Wala sigurong pakialam sa’yo ang kapatid mo.”

Tumingin ang bata sa akin. Ang abong mga mata ay mugto na sa kaiiyak. “Meron. Wala lang s’ya kanina dahil may business party s’yang in-attend-an.” sabi n’ya sa pagitan ng paghikbi.

Napangisi ako. “Talaga? Eh, bakit ngayon? Iniwan ka n’ya at inuna ang kaibigan n’ya? Hindi ka ganoong kaimportante sa kapatid mo.”

Namuo ang luha sa mga mata ng bata. Nakitaan ko ng galit doon na pilit n’yang itinatago.

Mas lalong lumawak ang ngisi ko. “Wala s’yang pakialam sa’yo kahit muntik ka nang mamatay.”

I was lying on the bed with a woman beside me and we’re both naked under the sheets, as I think thoroughly about my plans. Hindi ko inaaasahan na ang mga nangyayari ay mas papabor pa sa akin. The EL Ordre and the Red Faction were fighting with their lives on the line. Ginagawa ang lahat para sa kanya-kanyang mga misyon.

The Red Faction was doing their best to sabotage the missions of the EL Ordre.

At hindi ko maitatanggi na malakas ang pwersa ng EL Ordre ngayon. I know that they have a chance on defeating the Red Faction. Kaya hangga’t maaga pa, kailangan kong makaisip ng plano para mapatumba ang EL Ordre nang hindi nakakahalata ang gobyerno.

“Tell me about the Queen’s plan. “ I said to the woman beside me. Hindi s’ya nakatingin sa akin nang magsalita.

“She’s planning on taking the EL Ordre’s youngest Rook and making him the Red Faction’s King.”

I smirked. I really admire how smart the Mad Queen is. Sa plano n’yang iyon ay nakuha na n’ya ang kahinaan ng EL Ordre.

“And she’ll use me to take him.” the woman beside me continued.

Mas lalo akong napangisi. “That’s better. I could do something about that as I control the game.”

I rolled over. Pumaibabaw ako sa babae at hinalikan s’ya sa leeg. Hindi man lang ako nakarinig sa kanya nang kahit na anong pagrereklamo kahit na alam kong tumututol ang katawan n’ya.

I smirked and whispered on her ears.

“You are my best piece in this game. Lyrae…”

Chapter 50

Gray was holding the gun that was pointed against the gamesmaster’s head. Nakadikit ang dulo ng baril sa likod ng ulo ni Leto. His gray eyes looks so calm but I know that anytime, he might pull the trigger if provoked.

My brother really did come back. Pero alam kong malaki din ang pinagbago n’ya. He changed so much. I remember that he didn’t want me to avenge our parents’ death. He knew that my anger will consume me. He wanted us to live in peace by accepting what happened to our parents.

Pero nagpumilit ako. I joined the EL Ordre and got trained under them. And even though I was against of Gray joining the team as well, pinilit n’ya ang makasali. Because he couldn’t stop me avenging our parents’ death, he chose to help me instead. And to watch over me. Kahit na ako ang nakakatanda sa amin at ang dapat na gumawa noon sa kanya.

But looking at my brother now as he holds that gun pointed at the gamemaster, I could feel that he changed so much. His gray eyes were cold and I couldn’t see any hesitation in it. Ibang-iba noon na s’ya ang bunso ng EL Ordre, our gentle little brother.

“Tell your men to fall back.” Gray said. Mas idinikit n’ya pa ang baril sa ulo ng gamemaster.

Pero mukhang hindi man lang natakot si Leto. He even smirked. The wrinkles at the corner of his eyes made him look wicked.

“Shoot me and my men will kill you all.” he chuckled. “You’re surrounded.”

“Actually, it’s the other way around.” Eresh said. “You’re the one who’s surrounded, asshole.”

“Stop with your mind games, Mad Queen.” Leto said. “Siniguro kong hindi kayo magkakaroon ng pagkakataon na masalisihan ako—”

“We already did.” I heard Fourth mumbled. Eresh giggled beside him.

“I choose this place so you wouldn’t have any chance to corner me with snipers.” pagpapatuloy ng gamemaster.

I heard Aius chuckled on my right. It’s funny how we could laugh in this situation despite the gamemaster’s men pointing a gun at us. Men, as there were about twenty of them. Ganoon ding karami ang baril na nakatutok sa amin.

But we know, Fourth and Aius too, kahit hindi namin sinabi sa kanila ang plano namin. I’m sure they already know that this is our win.

We finally checkmated the gamemaster.

“But this is the best place for choppers to corner you, don’t you think?” Aius said with a smirk on his lips.

And as if on cue, we heard a helicopter sound nearby. Not one, not two, not three but four helicopters came, stopping at the corners of the building. Hindi masyadong lumapit pero sapat na para liparin ng hangin, na nagmumula sa blades ng mga elisi, ang mga buhok namin.

“Good thing I cut my hair short.” I heard Eresh said despite the sound of the helicopter.

I looked at the chopper on our left. I saw someone sitting on the edge of the chopper, his feet was dangling on the air as he points his gun at the enemies behind us. He reached for his ear and touched his earpiece.

“Dad…” I heard Aius muttered. Hindi makapaniwala habang nakatingin sa ama n’yang nandoon sa loob ng chopper.

“On your signal, Tracer.” I heard the former King of EL Ordre, Panther, said.

We contacted the former members asking for their help when Violet said that the gamemaster was planning to corner us here in the rooftop. And to avoid having more casualties, we planned that we will take the bait. Iiwan namin ang iba sa ibaba as we know that they could take care of the rest of enemies. While Eresh, Fourth, Gray, Aius and I will take care of the gamemaster.

And the former EL Ordre members agreed to help us. V’s father, the former Pawn. L and Plutus’ father, the former Knights. Hoax’s father, the former Queen’s Bishop. And Aius’ father, the former King of El Ordre. They’re all here, inside those choppers, pointing the guns at the enemies.

Fourth’s father wanted to help as well but since he’s a Duke, his presence was great that we’ll be having a hard time hiding him. Maaalerto ang buong bansa sa pagdating n’ya kung sakali at sigurado akong makakarating iyon sa gamemaster. We couldn’t risk our plan.

I saw Leto’s men hesitated when they finally understood that they got cornered instead. Na nagkabaliktad na ang sitwasyon. Sila na ang dehado ngayon.

“See? You are surrounded.” Eresh said with her sweetest smile.

I saw Leto’s face darkened. He reached for his gun at the back of his pants pero mas idinikit ng kapatid ko ang baril sa likod ng ulo n’ya.

“Surrender, Leto.” he said. “Stop resisting.”

“We’re not planning to kill you but if you give us no choice, then we will.” I said. Itinaas ko din ang baril ko at itinutok iyon sa kanya.

The gamemaster clenched his jaw. Nakita ako ang sobrang galit sa mga mata n’ya para sa amin. Galit para sa paghihiganti n’yang hindi natuloy.

“Mga traydor!” sigaw n’ya na alam kong narinig ng lahat, even the former members of EL Ordre. “Katulad lang kayo ng demonyong si Manuel Guerrero! Dapat kayong mamatay lahat!”

“No one deserves death, you bastard!” gigil na sabi ng kapatid ko. Napahakbang ako ng isa pasulong sa takot na baka makalabit n’ya ang gatrilyo ng baril.

“Gray!” I warned him.

“Manuel Guerrero killed my father!” Leto said. The anger in his voice was so evident. “He’s the one who ruined my family. Hindi mamamatay ang mga magulang ko kundi dahil sa kanya! Hindi ako ipapatapon sa bahay-ampunan!”

“But he’s already dead decades ago! And here you are, still having a tantrum like a child! Dinamy mo pa kami!” Eresh shouted back at him. Namumula ang mukha n’ya sa galit para sa gamemaster.

“Ipinangako kong paghihigantihan ko ang nangyari sa mga magulang ko.  Uubusin ko ang lahi ng mga Guerrero na iyon! Gaya ng pag-ubos ni Manuel Guerrero sa lahat ng mayroon ako!”

Hindi ko rin mapigilan ang galit na dumagsa sa dibdib ko ngayon. I was like Leto back then. Gustong ipaghiganti ang pagkamatay ng mga magulang. We both think that it was so unfair that we wanted to seek for the justice that they deserve.

But as I look at him, I realized that revenge wouldn’t you any good. Lalamunin ka lang ng galit, makakagawa ng masama. And worse, your life will be ruined while seeking for revenge. And when you finally got it, you wouldn’t even feel peace within you. Dahil hindi mo mamamalayan, na naging katulad ka na rin ng taong pinaghihigantihan mo.

Leto became the monster that he hated.

“I felt sorry for you, for what happened with your family. But you didn’t have to ruin the lives of the innocents just to get your revenge.” sabi ni Eresh, mahinahon na sa pagkakataong ’to. “Hindi mo kailangang mandamay ng iba.”

“We became a tool for your revenge. Like a chess pieces.” Aius said. “Madami ang nadamay. Maraming buhay ang nawala dahil sa ginawa mo. Did you ever think of those lives that were ruined just like yours because you wanted revenge? Galit na galit ka sa ginawa sa iyo ni Manuel Guerrero. Pero ginawa mo rin sa iba ang ginawa n’ya sa iyo.”

Leto stilled. Mukhang tinamaan sa mga sinabi ni Eresh at Aius. But I didn’t let my guard down. This is the gamemaster. The one who’s the cause for all of this. I shouldn’t take him so lightly.

He was a former member of the EL Ordre. It just means that he got training as well. Nautakan n’ya rin ang iba para hindi maisip na si Leto at ang gamemaster ay iisa. And it it is possible that he will play with our minds just to get out of here.

I looked at Fourth. His eyes were only at the gamemaster. He looked so serious like he’s trying to read what Leto was thinking.

I know that Fourth is a genius. Mahahalata n’ya ang anumang pinaplano ni Leto ngayon. Just like how he understood my plan, Eresh’s plan and even helped us in his own way by giving a hint to the EL Ordre that he’s the traitor para mawala ang atensyon nila sa akin at maisagawa ko ang plano namin nang walang mga nakabantay sa akin.

I will leave this to him, and to Eresh and Aius to talk with the gamemaster. Sa ngayon ay kailangan kong protektahan ang kapatid ko at maisugurong makakaalis kaming lahat ng buhay dito.

“Surrender, Leto.” my brother said again. “And pay for all the sins that you did.”

Walang nagsalita pagkatapos noon at nanatili lang kaming nakatingin sa gamemaster, naghihintay ng susunod n’yang gagawin. The only thing we could hear were the loud sounds from the chopper blades and the wild blowing of the wind.

My eyes went down when I noticed the gamemaster balled his fists. Naging alerto ang lahat para sa maaari n’yang gawin.

“I hate Manuel Guerrero.” sabi ni Leto sa mababang tinig. “I hate the people supporting the Guerrero family. Na bawat myembro ng pamilya nilang tumatakbo sa eleksyon ay palaging nananalo. I hate how blind they were that they couldn’t see the devil inside those family.”

I reached for my earpiece. “Be on guard.” I said and I saw the former members nodding at me.

“I hate how the justice system works.” the gamemaster continued. “ Ang mga mahihina ay hindi maaaring magkaroon ng hustisya para sa kanila. Ang hustisya ay para lang sa mga nakakataas, doon sa mga mayayaman. Para sa kanila, madaling bilhin ang hustisya. Isang bayad lang nila, masasagot na ang lahat.

“Damn right.” Eresh muttered.

“I hate the government. I hate how they will fool the people just to vote for them. Nagpapakita lang ng pagtulong sa mga panahon ng eleksyon. At kapag nakaupo na sa pwesto, basta na lang itatapon ang mga taong sumuporta sa kanila. Babalewalain at uunahin ang mga sarili nila.”

“Agreed.” muling sabi ni Eresh. Fourth looked at her, stopping her using his eyes. Eresh just shrugged her shoulders.

“I hate how corrupt our government officials are. Na imbes gamitin ang pera para makatulong sa taong-bayan, para mapabuti ang bansa, mas pinipili nilang ibulsa ang mga perang iyon. Gagastos ng kaunti at bibili ng mga walang-kwentang bagay na makakatulong na para lang din sa gobyerno. Bibili ng bagay at gagawa ng proyektong walang kwenta na malaki ang perang kailangang ilabas pero hindi naman makakatulong para sa taong-bayan!”

“Oh, fuck. I’m sorry but I’m siding with him.”

“Eresh!” Fourth warned her and the Mad Queen just rolled her eyes.

“He’s telling the truth, though.” she even reasoned out.

“He’s not entirely wrong but it doesn’t mean that what he did to correct everything was right!” mahinang sabi ni Fourth. Sapat na para marinig ni Eresh. “In addition, the President is doing what he can for the people—”

“Utterly ridiculous.” Eresh said, imitating Fourth’s accent.

“The President is doing what he can but the people around him were sabotaging him.” it was Aius this time. “Iyong mga nakaupo rin sa pwesto. And I guess the gamemaster was helping them.”

Eresh just rolled her eyes at Aius. I just chuckled. Dahil alam ko, kung wala lang kami sa ganitong sitwasyon, Eresh will have a rebuttal. I know how much she hate the government and its corrupt officials.

“Alam kong sang-ayon ka sa mga sinasabi ko, Mad Queen.” Leto said. Napatingin kaming lahat sa kanya. “You saw how fuck up the government is.”

Eresh sighed. “Yes, but as what my King here told me,” she glanced at Fourth. “That doesn’t justify what you did to us. You ruined our lives! You played with our lives like a fucking chess pieces when we could live normally! You used us for your own good!”

“Dahil mga demonyo ang mga Guerrero! At habang sila ang nakaupo at namumuno sa bansa, patuloy na maghihirap ang marami!”

“What a fucking hypocrite!” Eresh exclaimed. “You keep on saying na para sa nakabubuti ng nakararami but you ruined our lives! “You used us! Wala kang pinagkaiba sa Manuel Guerrero na kinamumuhian mo!”

Leto’s face darkened. Naging alerto si Gray nang makaramdam ng pagbabago sa taong tinututukan n’ya ng baril.

“Some people are like pawns in chess whose sole purpose is to be sacrificed.”

I saw how the gamemaster’s words angered Eresh. She pointed the gun at him at mabilis na humarang si Fourth sa harapan n’ya ’cause he knew, Eresh will really pull the trigger.

“You, son of a bitch!” galit na sabi ni Eresh habang pilit na hinihigit si Fourth paalis sa harap n’ya. But Fourth held her waist and she tried to look at the gamemaster. “Fuck you, asshole! You’re a monster! You’re just like him! Like Manuel Guerrero! But even worse!”

Leto smirked. “I didn’t come this far just to be stopped by a mere chess pieces. I don’t have anything to lose anyway.”

Mabili na kumilos ang gamemaster paikot. He kicked my brother. Nagawang makailag ng kapatid ko pero dahil hindi inaasahan, ang baril ang tinamaan ng sipa. The gun flew out of his hand.

It was like a trigger as the enemies started to move behind us. Aius ran to help my brother. I was about to follow when an enemy blocked my way.

“There’s your signal.” I said through my earpiece. Kasunod noon ay ang pagbagsak ng mga kalaban as the former EL Ordre shoots them with tranquilizer.

I looked at the royal couple. I know Fourth wanted to protect his Queen but because there were too many enemies, hindi n’ya magawang makawala sa mga kaharap n’ya. Besides, he knew that it might offend Eresh if he tried to protect her. Eresh even looked like she could take care of herself.

She kicked the enemy and because she’s petite and doesn’t have a large body, mas maliksi at mabilis ang mga kilos n’ya. She managed to take down two enemies on her own still looking like a regal Queen. Tumingin s’ya sa gawi ng gamemaster at mabilis na pumunta doon para tulungan sina Aius at Gray.

“Do not kill the asshole!” Eresh said, pressing her earpiece as she speaks. “He doesn’t deserve an easy death. Kailangan n’yang pagdusahan at pagsisihan ang mga ginawa n’ya!”

Eresh joined Aius and Gray as they fought with the gamemaster. Pero kahit na tatlo laban sa isa ay nahirapan sila. Even with his age, Leto could still move quickly. Paano pa kaya noong kabataan n’ya.

“You know my story, King Lancer.” Leto said as he tried to block an attack from Eresh. He kicked backwards. Natamaan n’ya si Aius kaya napaatras. “Alam mo kung ilan taon akong nagsilbing mag-isa para sa gobyerno. You know how good I am at fighting.”

“Noon ’yon.” said ng kapatid ko as he thew punches na madaling nasasalag ni Leto. “When your stamina was still great. Pero ngayong matanda ka na? I doubt it.”

I chuckled and blocked the attack from the enemy in front of me. Sumipa ako pagilid at tinamaan ang isang kalaban na binalak lumapit sa akin.

Damn! That was savaged!

“You’re looking down at me.” sabi ni Leto na mukhang nainsulto. “I’ll show you what I’m capable of.”

Hinugot n’ya ang baril mula sa likuran n’ya at itinutok iyon sa kapatid ko. My heart sank when he pulled the trigger pero mabilis na nakaiwas ang kapatid ko na mukhang inaasahan nang gagawin iyon ng gamemaster. Aius tried to locked his neck from the back but Leto elbowed him in the gut kaya napabitaw s’ya.

Matapang na sumugod si Eresh sa gamemaster, not minding if he was holding a gun. She managed to kick him on the side pero nang sumuntok ay nahuli ng gamemaster ang pulsuhan n’ya. He pulled her and held her neck so tight that Eresh had a hard time breathing.

“Eresh!” Fourth shouted when he saw what happened. He punched his enemies on the face and caught him in the collar and punched him again. Ilang beses n’yang inulit iyon hanggang sa mawalan ng malay ang kalaban.

Fourth looked at me. Mabilis kong naintindihan ang gusto n’yang sabihin so I nodded at him. I reached for my earpiece.

“Clear our way.”

The former members shoot on the enemies that tried to block our way. May isang humarang sa daraanan ni Fourth but seems like he already snapped. He caught his hand when the enemy tried to punched him. Iniikot n’ya iyon sa likuran ng kalaban. He kneed his back so hard until the enemy were on his knees. Then he gave him a neck chop, hard that the enemy fell unconcious on the floor.

Nakalapit kami sa gamemaster at tinutukan ko s’ya ng baril pero huli na dahil ginawa n’yang ipangharang si Eresh sa kanya. He was already locking her neck at nakikita kong nahihirapan na si Eresh na huminga. I cursed.

“Huwag kang duwag, Leto!” I said. “Huwag kang gumamit ng babae pang harang sa katawan mo!”

“Let go of her, bloody bastard!”

Leto just chuckled when he saw the anger in Fourth’s eyes. He looked so evil kaya hindi kami makagawa ng hakbang kaagad. Especially that we don’t have any idea on what he could do.

The former members isn’t shooting him yet. If this still isn’t a threat for them or they’re just being cautious as they know what he’s capable of, I’m not sure.

The smile faded on his face when we heard a police siren from a distance. Nakita ko ang galit sa mga mata n’ya kaya napahigpit ang pagkakasakal n’ya kay Eresh. She was already gasping for air.

“That Lyrae! Isa ring traydor!” he bellowed. Galit na galit ang mga mata n’ya. “She deserves to die!”

Nakita ko na nasa mga kamay na ulit ng kapatid ko ang baril. Nasa bandang likod s’ya ng gamemaster. But he couldn’t pull the trigger because of Eresh’s warn earlier. I saw how he gripped the gun tightly when he heard Violet’s real name from Leto’s mouth.

“Sinabi n’ya sa Presidente ang lahat! She sold me to the President! So I fucking killed the bitch!”

I stilled. Mabilis akong napatingin sa kapatid ko na nahalata kong natigilan din. His eyes slowly found mine. Nakita ko ang pagkaunawa sa mga mata n’ya sa mga sinabi ni Leto.

Violet covered for him. Kung paanong nalaman ng gamemaster na may nagsabi sa Presidente ng ginagawa n’ya as hindi ko alam. All I know, that Violet covered for Gray. As he was the one who told the President everything.

Eresh chuckled. Kahit hirap ay nagawa pa ring tumawa.

“Serves you right, asshole.”

Napadaing s’ya nang higpitan pa ulit ng gamemaster ang pagkakasakal sa kanya. I saw Fourth rage in his eyes pero alam n’yang hindi makabubuti para kay Eresh kung magiging padalos-dalos s’ya.

“I’ve lost everything now.” Leto said. “Pero hindi lang ako ang dapat na mawalan. Kayo rin.”

He raised his hand that was holding a gun and pointed it at the direction of Aius. He smirked.

“Checkmate.”

Malalakas na mga putok ng baril ang narinig ko pagkatapos noon. My heart sank, unable to do anything as my ears became deaf with those gunshots.

The gunshots stopped. Mabilis kong nilingon si Aius at nakahinga nang maluwag nang makitang wala s’yang kahit na anong tama ng baril sa katawan n’ya. But his eyes were looking so seriously at something. Sinundan ko ang paningin n’ya at nakitang nakatuon iyon sa kapatid ko.

My brother was holding a gun, pointed at the direction of gamemaster. Bahagya pang umuusok ang dulo noon. And by that, I knew that the gunshot came from him.

The gamemaster coughed blood. Hindi ko man nakikita pero alam kong maraming tama ng baril sa likod n’ya. Eresh took that opportunity to get free from him but with his last strength, the gamemaster tightened his grip on her and smirked.

“Hindi lang ako ang mamamatay ngayon.”

It was so sudden, so quick that he managed to dragged Eresh at the edge of the building. I saw the look of horror in her eyes when he realized what Leto was trying to do.

“Eresh!” Fourth shouted. I could hear the fear in his voice. He tried to ran after them but I knew, I knew that he wouldn’t be able to make it.

Leto knew he’s gonna die, thus, he wanted to take someone with him to hell.

So he jumped off the building… taking Eresh with him.

Epilogue

This is the epilogue of

Chess Pieces Endgame: Checkmate

. We have finally reached the finale and that means that we now have to close the book about the

Bloody Human Chess game

.

Thank you so much for being with me in this series. I never thought that a lot of you would actually enjoy this. I love reading your comments, theories and reactions. Those were the reasons why I got so motivated to finish writing this series. Sadly, every story has an ending. But rest assured that this is not yet the end, as an ending means that there’s another beginning.

This is the last and final chapter of Chess Pieces series.

---

It was raining so hard. The umbrella didn’t give us enough protection under the rain. But none of us seems to mind that we’re getting wet. Tahimik ko lang na pinapanood ang unti-unting pagbaba ng puting kabaong sa ilalim ng lupa, trying to ignore the pain in my chest.

Codee was crying so hard. She was sobbing and was already having a hard time breathing. Nasa tabi n’ya si L na mahigpit ang pagkakaakbay sa balikat n’ya as he tried to comfort her. But it seems to me that it would be a while before Codee could calm down.

Why does it have to end this way? I did everything I can so there wouldn’t be anymore lives that would be taken away but I still failed. I fucking failed. Kahit na anong ingat ko, kahit na anong pagpaplano ang gawin ko, someone still died in the end.

I wanted to save everyone. They had been protecting me for so long and I wanted to repay them for what they did. Pero kahit sa kahuli-hulihang sandali ay nabigo ako. I failed to save everyone. Just like how I failed to save the one that I loved the most.

The rain continued on pouring. It was like the weather was the mirror on what we feel inside. It was so chaotic. It was such heavy feeling that I have no idea how to let this out. At hindi nakakatulong ang lakas ng ulan at lamig ng panahon para pakalmahin ang mga nararamdaman namin.

It wasn’t that long when we were still talking to her. Eating a meal together at the hideout of the EL Ordre. We treated her as a family kaya ang mawala s’ya ay sobrang sakit para sa amin. At alam kong wala pa sa kalahati ng nararamdaman namin ang nararamadaman ng taong iyon.

I looked to where he is. Sa hindi kalayuan, sa ilalim ng puno ay nakatayo ang isang lalaki. He was wearing a black hoodie. The hood was on his head and he doesn’t seem to mind even if he’s dripping wet because of the rain. At kagaya ko, hindi man lang nagpayong o nagtangkang gumawa ng paraan para makaiwas sa ulan.

His hands were inside the pockets of his hoodie. And even at a distance, I could see him staring at the casket as it was slowly being buried underground. Hindi n’ya nilubayan ng tingin ang kabaong iyon kahit na isang segundo lang. He knew that the casket contains the soulless body of a woman that made a big difference in his life.

And that this would be the last time that he would see her in person.

I took a deep breath. Pinuno ko ng hangin ang baga ko dahil naninikip na naman iyon. ’Cause I know what he’s feeling. I know what that man was feeling as I was in his place, more than a decade ago.

I looked up to the sky. Sinalubong ko ang pagbagsak ng ulan sa mukha ko. I didn’t mind the cold. We have been standing here for almost an hour pero kahit isa ay walang gustong umalis. We want to witness until the end. Hanggang sa matabunan na ng lupa ang kabaong iyon.

I closed my eyes. Naramdaman ko ang mainit na likido na tumulo pababa sa pisngi ko. I was thankful for the rain. Dahil parang may isip ang langit at tinutulungan kaming magluksa. ’Cause it knew that we don’t have any idea how to let go of all the pain that we’re feeling. And the rain was doing it for us by pouring down hard today.

It was a sad day for all of us as we watched our friend, our family, laid on her final resting place.

“Vexen!”

Naidilat ko kaagad ang mga mata ko nang marinig ang pagsigaw na iyon ni Death sa kabila ng lakas ng buhos ng ulan. I saw Vexen already kneeling on the wet ground and her husband was trying to lift her up. I got the impression that Vexen lost all her strength habang pinapanood ang kaibigan n’yang unti-unting tinatabunan ng lupa.

“Honey…” Death said, tinutulungan pa ring makatayo ang asawa. He let go of the umbrella as he couldn’t lift her up.

But instead, Vexen clung onto his shirt. She was sobbing so hard and even the rain falling down on her face isn’t enough to hide her tears.

“Si Violet, Death.” she sobbed. “Si Violet—”

It looks to me like Death wanted to take her pain away. Nakikita ko sa mukha n’ya ang sakit habang pinapanood ang asawa na humahagulgol sa harapan n’ya. But he couldn’t do anything. Instead, he just hugged his wife and let her cry hard on his shoulders.

Vexen cried out loud. Dinig na dinig ang sakit na nararamdaman n’ya sa ginagawang pag-iyak. And Death was feeling her pain. Mas hinigpitan n’ya pa ang pagkakayakap sa asawa n’ya. His hands were shaking and it wasn’t because of the rain.

“She’s gone… She’s gone…” Vexen’s voice was muffled when she said those words. Her face was buried on her husband’s chest.

Lumakas din ang paghikbing ginagawa ni Codee. L tried to comfort her by caressing her back as he planted kisses on her temple.

Muli akong napatingin sa kabaong na ngayon ay unti-unti nang tinatabunan ng lupa. I balled my fist when I realized how helpless and useless I was as their King and as a member of EL Ordre.

What the fucking shit, Lucius! You got your training, right? You were the King! Pero bakit hirap na hirap kang sagipin ang lahat?!

I already lost Angela, pati ba naman ang isang kaibigan ay hindi ko nagawang iligtas?

Fuck! I fucking hate how useless I am!

Kung siguro ay naging malakas lang ako katulad ni Hunter at Creed, kung siguro ay naging kasing talino rin ako ni Loki, then maybe all of this wouldn’t happen. Baka nagawa kong iligtas si Violet. Baka buhay pa sana si Angela ngayon.

I felt a light tap on my back. Napatingin ako sa gumawa noon at nakita si Creed na tumabi sa akin while holding an umbrella, beside him was Hunter. The rain suddenly stopped falling but I realized that Artemis was sharing her umbrella with me.

“Magkakasakit ka.” I heard her say. Her voice was too soft that I had a hard time hearing her because of the rain.

“Mas makapal pa sa kalabaw ang balat n’yan.” it was Creed, the fucker, but he stopped when he noticed Artemis glaring at him. I smiled a little, thanking the fucker silently for trying to lift my mood.

“It’s okay, Artemis.” sabi kong hindi pinansin ang kaibigan ko. “Gusto kong magpakabasa sa ulan ngayon.”

Hindi natanggal ang pag-aalala sa mukha n’ya kaya mas ngumiti pa ako. But I guess I couldn’t hide what I’m feeling dahil nandoon pa din ang pag-aalala sa mukha ni Artemis.

“I’m okay. Really.” I said, still trying to convince her. Nang hindi gumana ay napatingin na ako kay Hunter na kaagad namang nakuha ang gusto kong sabihin.

“He’ll be fine. Nabasa na rin naman s’ya.” Hunter said.

Artemis stared at me before nodding her head. Tumabi s’ya kay Hunter at pinasukob ang asawa sa payong n’ya. Pero nabalewala din naman ang sinabi ko sa kanya dahil si Creed naman ngayon ang nagpayong sa akin. I just sighed in defeat.

“Maria wanted to come.” he said while staring what’s happening in front of us. Unti-unti nang natatabunan ang kabaong. “Pero kabuwanan na n’ya kasi.”

“And it’s a bad luck for a pregnant woman to attend a funeral, though.” Artemis said. “Death brings negativity so it’s safer for her to just stay at home.”

We fell silent. Pinanood lang namin ang pagtatabon ng lupa sa puting kabaong iyon.

We were on top of a hill, the place where the fallen members of the EL Ordre and the Red Faction were buried. The President prepared a nice place for their resting place. At inilipat nga ang mga labi ng iba dito sa tuktok ng burol na ito.

And as I looked around, seeing those names on the tombstones, I realized how many peple sacrificed for this. How many lives were wasted just for a fucking revenge.

I would never forgive the one who made all this mess. He ruined our lives, played with it like we’re nothing but a Pawn to be sacriced just for his revenge.

Nilingon ko si Creed na tahimik lang sa tabi ko.

“Did you get any result?” I asked. Hindi tumitingin na tumango s’ya sa akin.

“I’ve found them.” he said. Kaagad na nakuha kung para saan ang tanong ko. “They were buried beside Leto’s parents.”

Napatitig ako sa kanya, hinihintay ang susunod n’yang sasabihin. But he didn’t add anymore other than what he said. Kaya tumango na lang ako at muling tumingin sa harap. I know him. If he wanted to say it, he will say it. But I respect his privacy.

For now, it’s a good thing that he already found who his parents were.

I couldn’t imagine how devastated he was when he heard the news. Na inosente ang mga magulang n’ya. Walang kinalaman sa laro pero dahil sa kagaguhan ng gamemaster, idinamay ang mga magulang ni Creed at pinatay. And the fucking bastard included him in the game.

Creed was supposed to have a happy and normal life with Fatima. Not a Pawn who always got sacrificed in the game.

Ang daming nadamay, ang daming namatay. We couldn’t even be genuinely happy now that the game has finally ended. How could we when our friends and family died because of the Bloody Human Chess game?

“Eresh is blaming herself.”

Napatingin kami kay Hunter. He said that without looking at anyone of us. He was looking straight ahead, at Violet’s grave in front of us.

I know that he was close with Violet too. Vexen, Creed, Violet and him were his team when he was still in the Italy. Those days when he left Artemis here for her safety. Violet was the one who was mending with their wounds back then.

That’s why I couldn’t even believe it when I discovered that Violet was a traitor. Noong una naming mahanap si Gray at sinubukang kunin s’ya. Violet followed as we were trying to escape, revealing to me that she was indeed a traitor when she removed her mask.

But now that I’ve thought of everything, it was like her way of telling to us that Gray was safe. Dahil alam kong alam n’ya na kahit anong pilit n’yang itago ay nahalata namin ang totoo n’yang nararamdaman para kay Gray. And that she won’t do anything to harm him. If only we trusted her.

But we didn’t. We were caught up with what happened especially when Eresh said that she drugged him. Everything was so messed up that we couldn’t trust even our own friend and family.

If only… If only that there was enough trust for each one of us.

“She really wanted to come here. But the Queen of England was against of her attending a funeral as she was pregnant. Plus, she still needs to rest.” Hunter continued. “But she wanted to apologize.”

“Maybe she’s thinking that she’s the one to blame as well. Lyrae was in the Red Faction since she was a kid.” Artemis said. Hunter nodded with what she said.

“Iniisip n’ya na isa rin s’ya sa nagpahirap kay Violet. She’s taking all the blame.”

“Walang dapat na sisihin kundi si Leto.” Creed said. Seryoso ang mga mata n’ya at mahahalata ang paggalaw ng panga n’ya. “That devil ruined our lives.”

Wala mang nagsalita ay alam kong sumasang-ayon ang lahat sa sinabi n’ya. We all suffered differently but it was clear that our lives got ruined because of this. Iba-iba kami ng mga pinagdaanan. Iba-iba rin ang paraan namin sa pagtanggap ng mga nangyari sa buhay namin.

People were all different. And we have different ways of coping up, of comforting ourselves for all the shits that happened to our lives. For all the bad things that ruined us. We have different ways on how to fight so we would be able to face another day despite what happened to us.

That’s the reason why I couldn’t blame Eresh. She did those things because she wanted to live. Because she was still fighting. It was wrong in the point of view of others but for her, that was her way of fighting.

We really have no rights to judge anyone as we don’t know their struggles that they were facing, struggles that they were trying to fight. Their mistake won’t define them as a person.

I looked at the man again under that tree. Guess that he didn’t even moved from when I looked at him earlier. Ganoon na ganoon pa din ang pwesto n’ya.

I looked at Hunter.

“Your brother…”

Iyon lang ang sinabi ko at napalingon na kaagad s’ya sa pwesto ni Gray. He sighed when he saw him.

Hunter looked at me. His eyes were telling me something and I nodded when I understood that. Nilingon n’ya si Artemis sa tabi n’ya.

“I’ll just talk to Gray.”

Artemis looked where Gray was as well at mabilis s’yang tumango nang ibinalik ang tingin kay Hunter. He asked Creed to take care of Artemis for a while and we started walking to where Gray is.

Sa malayo pa lang ay kitang-kita ko na ang mga mata n’ya na blankong nakatingin sa puntod ni Violet. Mukhang hindi n’ya napapansin na naglalakad kami papalapit sa kanya.

And as I looked at him, I noticed how much he changed from the last time that I saw him. If he didn’t have that face, iisipin kong ibang tao na ang bumalik sa amin. He wasn’t the same Gray back then. He changed big time. I feel as if I don’t know him anymore.

I know that Hunter was feeling the same. We’ve been friends for years and it’s obvious to me that he was just trying to act like everything is normal with his brother. But he knew that something really changed.

“Gray.” tawag ni Hunter sa kapatid n’ya na kahit nang makalapit na kami ay hindi pa rin kami tinatapunan ng tingin. That’s why Hunter tapped his arm lightly to get his attention.

Slowly, Gray’s gaze turned towards us. Blanko pa rin ang mga mata n’ya at sinubukan kong basahin kung anong iniisip n’ya. Pero wala akong makitang kahit na anong emosyon sa mukha n’ya that gave me a hard time reading him.

Gray was just looking at us blankly. It seems like he was looking at strangers. I didn’t see any recognition in his eyes at kung hindi pa s’ya nagsalita ay aakalain ko na talagang hindi n’ya nga kami nakikilala.

Damn it, Gray.

“Kuya…” dinig kong sabi n’ya. He was staring at his brother. Ang mukha ay basang-basa dahil sa ulan na patuloy pa rin sa pagbuhos ngayon.

“Bakit ayaw mong lumapit?” Hunter asked. Umiling si Gray at muling tumingin sa tinitignan kanina.

“I can’t…” he said, still shaking his head. “I’m too ashamed to even looked at her body.”

I sighed. Inilagay ko ang mga kamay ko sa loob ng bulsa ng pantalon ko na noo’y basang-basa na din.

“Mas magiging masaya si Violet kung lalapit ka.” I said. But Gray just keep on shaking his head. At unti-unti kong nakikita ang dating Gray sa kanya.

Yumuko s’ya habang patuloy pa din na umiiling. The rain was washing away the tears on his face.

“I… I failed her, Kuya Lucius.” his voice was soft but I was able to hear the pain in his voice. At alam kong narinig din iyon  ni Hunter.

“Gray…”

“I failed to save her… I couldn’t save her…” Gray mumbled as he shook his head. He choke back a sob and I realized that he was crying.

Hunter heaved a deep sigh. He pulled his brother for a hug na agad din namang yumakap pabalik sa kanya.

“I promised her that she’ll be able to live a normal life, Kuya.” he cried. “I promised her… na gagawin ko ang lahat para matupad ’yon. But I failed. And she died. I couldn’t even keep my promise to her.”

Tinanggal ni Hunter ang hood na nakasuot sa ulo ng kapatid n’ya. He was getting wet but he didn’t mind. He even let go of the umbrella that he’s holding, ignoring the rain that was still pouring hard.

Hunter ruffled his brother hair who was still crying on his shoulders like a child. He caressed his back and comforted his brother silently.

Gray is still Gray. I could see the love that he has for his brother. Na naging dahilan kung bakit s’ya pumayag na sumali sa EL Ordre at tanggapin ang pagiging Rook n’ya. He wanted to help his brother, even if that means that it would ruin him.

“She doesn’t deserve everything that happened to her, Kuya.” sabi ni Gray na patuloy pa ring umiiyak. “She deserves to live a normal life. Pero wala na s’ya. Namatay s’ya nang dahil sa akin.”

“Gray…”

“She did everything to save me, to protect me. Pero wala man lang akong nagawa para sa kanya, Kuya. Wala. I just ruined her. I couldn’t save her.”

Hinayaan lang ni Hunter na umiyak nang umiyak ang kapatid n’ya hanggang sa kumalma. Hearing him say those words took me back from ten years ago, the day when Angela died.

I also blamed myself for what happened to her. Na hanggang ngayon ay hindi ko pa rin matanggap. She died unfairly and unjustly. Na kung hindi siguro s’ya nakapasok sa mundo ko ay buhay pa sana s’ya ngayon.

And now it’s happening to Gray. What happened to me is now happening to him. He’s also blaming himself for Violet’s death. I know that it’ll be a long time before he’ll be okay.

I wanted to tell him those words. That it wasn’t his fault. What happened wasn’t even his fault. But I’ll just be a hypocrite ’cause until now, I am still blaming myself for Angela’s death.

“Gray.” dinig kong sabi ni Hunter. Humiwalay s’ya para makita ang mukha ng kapatid n’ya. “Listen to me. I know that you wouldn’t be able to accept this today. Mahihirapan kang tanggapin ang mga sasabihin ko dahil sarado pa ang isip mo. But I hope that one day, you’ll be able to accept what I’m gonna say.”

Gray sobbed. Gumagalaw ang mga balikat n’ya dahil sa sobrang pag-iyak. Pero hindi naman lumayo at tumingin din sa kapatid.

“It wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t your fault, Gray. What happened to Violeti isn’t your fault. Paulit-ulit ko ’yang sasabihin hanggang sa matanggap mo.”

Umiling si Gray, hindi matanggap ang sinasabi ng kapatid pero nagpatuloy sa pagsasalita si Hunter.

“I know that you wanted to save her… But you wouldn’t be able to save everyone.” Hunter continued. “Situations will not always be in our favor all the time. Mangyayari ang mga bagay kahit na ayaw nating mangyari. We couldn’t control everything. Kahit na anong iwas natin, kahit na anong ingat na’tin, we don’t have a control over everything. That’s what I learned with our parents’ death, Artemis’ accident and when I lost you.”

Gray was already sobbing so hard. I couldn’t help but to envy him for having a brother like Hunter who would be willing to be with him all the time. A brother who’s willing to do eveything for him.

“Hindi man ngayon but I hope that you would be able to forgive yourself. Stop blaming yourself for the things that you couldn’t do. Stop punishing yourself for something that is not even your fault.”

Hindi sa akin nakatingin si Hunter pero pakiramdam ko ay ako rin ang sinasabihan n’ya. His words made a big impact to me. As I have been blaming myself for so long now.

Slowly, I know that I will be able to forgive myself.

“You couldn’t save Lyrae but you saved Eresh, Gray.” I said. Gray looked at me. I made a small smile. “At sobra-sobra na ang ginawa mong ’yon.”

“Dalawang buhay ang sinagip mo sa ginawa mo kay Eresh.” Hunter added. “Violet’s sacrifice was worth it.”

That made Gray calmed down slowly. Unti-unti s’yang kumalma hanggang sa tuluyan nang matigil sa pag-iyak.

Eresh almost died that day. The day when the Bloody Human Chess game ended. Leto planned to take Eresh when he jumped off the building. Kahit na maraming tama ng bala sa likod ay ginawa pa rin iyon.

Loki tried to ran after them but he was too far from the both of them. It was so sudden. Masyadong mabilis ang galaw ng gamemaster na hindi namin nakalkulado ang lahat.

Alam kong mas grabeng kaba at pag-aalala pa ang nararamdaman ni Loki para kay Eresh. Walang-wala sa nararamdaman ko. I also tried to shoot the gamemaster on the leg, hoping that he would stop but the bastard was a trained man as well.

It was a good thing that Gray was near the edge of the rooftop. He was the one who shot the gamemaster on the back. Nasa bandang likod s’ya ni Leto at ang pinakamalapit sa kanya. So before Leto jumped off the building, Gray reached for Eresh’s hand and pulled her to him.

There was a large airbag prepared below the building dahil naisip na rin naming gagawin nga iyon ng gamemaster. He will choose to die than to surrender. But if he took Eresh with him in the fall, the baby in her tummy might not survived even if the impact was lessen.

The large airbag was able to caught Leto pero dahil sa dami ng tinamong tama ng baril, hindi na s’ya umabot pa ng ospital.

That wasn’t our plan. We wanted him to pay for what he did but fuck that bastard, he got away easily for all his sins. Ipinagpasalamat na lang namin na sa wakas ay natapos na rin ang laro.

“Why didn’t you shot him with a tranquilizer?” Hunter asked to my Dad.

Nakababa na kaming lahat and Creed was rushed to the hospital as he already lost too much blood. Others who had minor injuries got treated on the site.

“It was your fight.” my father answered him. “Matagal nang tapos ang laro namin. We were only here to help and were not the one who should make the decision. It was your turn now.”

“But we have the same enemy!“giit ni Hunter. “We’re not playing the game anymore!”

“I know.” my Dad calmly said. “But tell me honestly, would you be satisfied if it was from the former members who killed the gamemaster?”

Hindi sumagot si Tracer. I understand what he feels. Our plan was to capture the gamemaster alive but it was ruined when he tried to take Eresh with him. Kaya kung isa man sa mga former members ang bumaril kay Leto ay baka hindi namin matanggap ang nangyari.

“Lucius.”

I was taken aback when my father suddenly called me. Tinapik pa muna ako ni Hunter bago kami iwan na dalawa.

“Dad.”

I stared at him. I could still remember those days when I was training under him. He was a merciless trainer. Wala s’yang pakialam kung grabeng sugat at bugbog na ang matamo ko noon basta lang ay matuto ako. I got an impression ever since that day, that he was only treating me as another piece in the chess. As someone who will continue the legacy. ’Cause no parents would treat their child that harshly, right?

And my Dad was cold. He rarely shows me affection. Kahit na noong magkaroon ako ng sarili kong business, he never attended any openings of my hotel chain. Wala s’ya palagi para mag-celebrate kasama ko.

So it really surprised me that he’s here, willing to help us with this fucking problem.

Dad walked towards me. Tinitigan n’ya ako. I readied myself for his harsh words and insults kaya hindi ko inaasahan nang ngumiti s’ya sa akin.

“You were born to be a King, Lucius.” he said. “You have a great leadership skills.”

Hindi ako nakapagsalita. I wasn’t really excepting that. Ang akala ko ay magagalit s’ya dahil sobrang nagkagulo ang laro.

His smile turned warmly as he looked at me. Tinapik n’ya ako sa balikat.

“Tracer told me everything.” he said. “The group didn’t break even with those situations because of your leadership. A skill that I don’t possess.”

He chuckled. Wala akong masabi at manghang-manghang nakatitig lang sa kanya.

My Dad smiled at me. His usually voided eyes seems to have an emotion right now as he looked at me.

“I’m so damn proud of you, my son.”

I swallowed hard. May biglang bumara kasi sa lalamunan ko nang marinig ko iyon sa mismong ama ko. Never had I expected that I would hear him saying something like this. ’Cause in my mind, I always thought that I’m a disappointment. That I always disappoint my Dad.

I heard him took a deep breath. Malungkot s’yang tumingin sa akin.

“I’m sorry.” he said. Hindi maawat ang pagkagulat ko sa mga naririnig ko sa kanya. “I shouldn’t have left you fighting this battle alone. I shouldn’t have blamed you for my incompetency. Nahihiya kasi ako sa’yo dahil nagdala ako ng ganitong gulo sa buhay mo. I’m sorry if I ruined your life, Lucius.”

“Dad…” wala sa sarili kong sabi. Halos hindi ko mapaniwalaan ang mga naririnig ko ngayon.

“I’m sorry if I took it out on you. I shouldn’t have done that. Hiyang-hiya ako sa sarili ko dahil hindi ako naging mabuting ama sa’yo.” he smiled sadly. “I’m not a good father, am I?”

Umiling ako. I’ve learned something when Vexen was the one in this situation. That parents have different ways to show how much they love their children. Mabuti man sa mga mata ng iba o hindi, they differ in ways on protecting their child.

“I understand, Dad.” sabi kong nakakaunawa. I saw pain shot across his eyes. “We were all a victim in this game. Stop blaming yourself.”

Stop blaming yourself. The first thing that I should do.

The President called us for meeting once everything has died down. It was a secret meeting. Na tanging ang mga natitirang mga myembro lang ng EL Ordre at ng Red Faction ang mga kasama.

“I wanted to give you my thanks for all the hardwork that you did for the government.” sabi ng President habang nakaupo sa pinadulo ng mahabang lamesang iyon. “Things got worst and I apologize for what my men has done with your lives.”

I was sitting at the other end of the table. Masyadong mahaba ang lamesa para sa amin but I understand as the President wanted to take precautions. The fact that he chose to talk to us alone, without any bodyguards beside him to protect him, was enough for us to say that he really feels sorry.

“As a thanks and to amend for everything that happened, I wanted to give you everything you want. And if it’s within my power, then I wouldn’t hesitate to give all to you.”

Nagkatinginan kaming lahat. None of them said anything but for me, it is clear what was the only thing that they wanted right now. At alam kong pare-pareho kaming lahat ng ninanais ngayon.

I sighed and looked at the President.

“There are only two things that we wanted more than anything else.” I said.

The President leaned his back on his swivel chair and looked at me with all seriousness.

“Name it.”

I put up my two fingers.

“First, be a good President for this country. Stop turning a blind eye for those corrupt officials that were inside the government. The people put their trust on you to help them that’s why you’re in that seat until this very day. Huwag mo sana silang biguin.”

Walang pag-aalinlangan na tumango ang presidente. “And the second one?”

I looked at the other members. Seryosong-seryoso ang mga mata nila habang na nakatingin sa akin. As if there is still a game and and I am still their King. Ipinapaubayang muli sa akin ang desisyon na ’to.

Our last move.

I took a deep breath and looked at the President, straight in the eye.

“We want out of the organization.” I said. “We won’t be helping the government anymore. We want to have a fresh start. We want to have a new life.”

The room fell silent after I declared that. Nobody has said anything. Alam namin na ito ang pare-pareho naming gusto. This is what we have been wanted for so long so we did everything to end the game. Hoping that finally, after we stopped the gamemaster, we would finally be living a normal life. Like what we’ve always been wanted.

“We want out, Mr. President.” I continued. “So we could start a new life. A life that is out of so much danger. A life that we would be proud to introduce to our kids. A life that we would enjoy.”

Nakatingin kami sa presidente habang hinihintay ang sagot n’ya. The President was just looking at us with serious eyes. Halatang pinag-iisipan n’yang mabuti ang kondisyon ko base sa pagkakakunot ng noo n’ya. His fingers were even tapping the long wooden table.

A normal life. Iyon ang gusto namin. Ang buhay na hindi kami matatakot para sa mga sarili namin at mga mahal namin sa buhay. Ang buhay na payapa kaming gigising bawat umaga dahil walang laban na kailangang intindihin. Ang buhay na tahimik at hindi magulo.

It is never to late. We wanted this, especially the others. As they want protection to their kids.

Our last and final move.

Ilang minuto ang lumipas bago namin narinig ang presidente na humugot nang malalim na paghinga. He then leaned his elbows on the table and intertwined his fingers together before he leaned his chin on his hands.

“Consider it done.”

Hatred. Betrayal. Revenge. Those were included to the things that could make a man go blind with their rational thought. It could drive people to do things that they would regret later on.

Hatred. One powerful word as it could control human thoughts and emotions. The root of all negative feelings. An emotion that could break you apart.

Betrayal breaks trust that one has to another person. And people could only feel betrayed by the people they love, by the one they cared. We are hurt with their betrayal ’cause we love that person, we cared for that person.

Revenge. A word that could drive us mad. We were hurt so much that we wanted to do more than what the person did to us. We wanted them to feel the hurt the person gave to us. But at the end of the day, revenge would only break us more. It will never give us the satisfaction that we seek.

Those were the things that control our lives. We got into these shits because of someone’s hatred. It ruined so many lives. Our lives got played by him. But we were able to get through with it, to be together and fight side by side as there were one strong and powerful word that help us.

Love.

We showed and feel different kinds of love. A love for a friend. A love for a family. A love that is forgiving. A love that brings light to one’s darkest world. A love that could heal a broken person. A love that is selfish. A love that is selfless.

Iba-iba man pero nakatulong ng malaki ang bagay na iyon para malagpasan namin ang lahat.

And now, we finally reached the end.

An ending that means a new day for someone.

“Montenegro, laya ka na.”

Isinukbit n’ya sa likod ang bag n’yang naglalaman ng ilang pirasong mga damit pagkatapos pirmahan ang mga papeles sa paglaya n’ya. The guard congratulated him when he opened the gate for him.

The gate for his new day.

“When I say push, push hard, okay?” she gave instructions to the woman. “Sir, tulungan n’yong umire ang asawa n’yo.”

It seems forever as they did what they needed to do. Tagaktak na ang pawis sa noo ng doktorang iyon pero hindi s’ya tumigil hanggang sa marinig na nila ang munting iyak ng sanggol na iyon.

“It’s a girl.” she announced and put the baby on his mother’s chest.

Mangiyak-ngiyak na napatingin sa kanya ang babae.

“Thank you, Doc Ishtar.”

A ending that means a new beginning for someone.

“Baby Astraea!” the woman was playing with her daughter that was on her arms when the door suddenly swung open.

“Maria! Kakapanganak mo pa lang. Nagpapahinga ka dapat!” her husband scolded her. He took the baby on her arms and she couldn’t do anything but to pout her lips.

“Creed naman, eh. Kakahawak ko pa nga lang sa anak na’tin, eh.” the woman said, tears forming in the corner of her eyes.

Her husband sighed and sat down beside her on the bed. He pulled her for a hug and kissed her hair.

“I’m sorry, baby. Huwag ka nang umiyak, hmm?”

The woman hugged him back and rested her head on his chest, hearing the calm beating of his heart.

“Hunter, ano? Is it good?”

The man stared at his wife. He already has an answer but he chose to stare at her. Especially at those beautiful blue eyes.

He chuckled when he realized the worried look on her face. He couldn’t help but to plant a kiss on her reddish pouty lips.

“Yes, Artemis. It is good.”

An ending that means a new life for someone.

“Raven, anong gusto mo? Baby sister or baby brother?”

The woman laughed when her daughter just smiled at her father. Mukhang hindi naintindihan ang tanong ng amang nakayakayap ang mga braso palibot sa bewang n’ya at ang tenga ay nakatapat sa t’yan n’ya.

“Death, hindi ka naman maiintindihan ng anak na’tin.”

But her husband didn’t mind her question.

“Ikaw, Vexen? Anong gusto mong susunod na magiging anak na’tin? Babae o lalaki?” the man asked, excitement is in his voice.

The woman chuckled and cupped her husband face. Pinagdikit n’ya ang mga noo nilang dalawa.

“Kahit ano, Death. As long as you’re with me.”

Malalakas na katok sa pinto ang maririnig sa loob ng kwartong iyon. Napasimangot ang babae habang isinasara ang zipper ng shorts n’ya.

“Codee! Ano?”

The woman had no choice but to open the bathroom’s room. Kaysa naman masira dahil isang segundo pa lang s’yang nakakapasok ay kinatok na agad s’ya ng lalaki.

“L, sinabi nang maghintay.” she said but the man looked at her, frantically.

“Ano? Anong balita?”

She rolled her eyes and gave her that white stick. Tinitigan naman iyon ng lalaki na nakakunot ang noo.

“What does this mean?” he asked. She chuckled at his cuteness but smiled at him widely.

“It’s positive. I’m pregnant, L.”

An ending that means a new hope for someone.

The frown on the woman’s face was so evident as she fitted that white long wedding gown. The man laughed and hugged her from behind.

“I will look like I’m carrying a beach ball inside my tummy, Loki.” mangiyak-ngiyak na sabi ng babae habang nakatingin sa salamin. The bump on her stomach was so obvious now.

“You still look wonderful to me, Eresh.” he said pero mas lalo lang napasimangot ang babae.

“Can we postpone the royal wedding until I gave birth? Magpakasal na lang tayo in a civil way so our son wouldn’t born out-of-wedlock if that’s what’s your grandma is worried about.”

“You want that?” the man asked. Mabilis na tumango ang babae. He smiled and kissed her on the cheeks. “Alright, my Queen. I’ll do everything you want.”

An ending that will serve as a new purpose for someone.

“Do you really have to do this, Gray?”

The man closed the zipper of his bag. Isinukbit n’ya iyon sa balikat n’ya at nginitian ang kapatid n’ya.

“I need to, Kuya. I need to take a break after what happened.”

His brother stared at him. The man laughed and tapped his brother’s back.

“Don’t worry, Kuya. Tatawagan ko rin naman kayo para kumustahin. Gusto ko lang munang mapag-isa sa ngayon.”

His brother sighed. Wala nang nagawa kundi ang yakapin ang kapatid.

“Mag-iingat ka.” his brother said and he nodded.

“I will, Kuya.”

An ending that means a new love for someone.

The man was playing anxiously with his pen. Kanina pa s’ya nakatitig sa mga papeles sa harapan n’ya pero hindi naman magawang intindihin. He was glancing at the clock every minute, wanting to curse at how time could be so slow.

Pero maya-maya ay napatuwid din ng upo nang marinig ang pagpihit ng doorknob ng pinto. He smirked when a woman went inside his office.

“Good afternoon, Attorney Villaraza.” the woman greeted him. He chuckled, a raspy one before he stood up and went near her.

“It’s been a while, Jean.”

Maingay na tunog ng busina mula sa mga sasakyan ang maririnig habang nakasakay ako sa ordinaryong bus na iyon. I ignore the heat and the dust from the outside. Hinayaan ko lang ding nakabukas ang bintana sa gilid ko.

“Ah, shit. Nasaan na ’yon?”

Napatingin ako sa babaeng katabi ko na kanina pa kinakalikot ang loob ng bag at mukhang may hinahanap. She glanced to the front, mas lalo pang nataranta nang makitang papalapit na ang konduktor sa kanya.

“Saan ka, miss?” tanong ng konduktor. The woman sighed and bit her lower lip as he looked at the man in front of him.

“Kuya… Naiwan ko ho yata ang wallet ko.”

Her voice was too soft. Masyadong mahina na alam kong hindi narinig ng konduktor na ipinaulit pa sa kanya. Pero dahil katabi ko s’ya ay malinaw kong narinig ang sinabi n’ya.

I took out my wallet and handed the man a thousand peso bill. Parehong napatingin ang konduktor at ang babae sa akin. Saktong tumigil ang bus sa stop na dapat kong babaan.

“Bayad n’ya. Ibigay mo na rin ang sukli sa kanya.” I said and went off the bus.

“Hala!” dinig ko pang sabi ng babae dahil bukas ang bintana. Seems like she wanted to ran after me pero nagsimula nang umandar ulit ang bus.

Napailing na lang ako.

I sighed as I walked quietly at that particular grave. Tahimik at payapa sa loob ng sementeryong iyon. Nilapitan ko ang puntod at nakitang malinis na malinis iyon.

I bet my father asked someone to clean this grave regularly.

I sighed and put the flowers I’m holding on her grave. Binasa ko ang pangalan n’yang nakaukit sa lapida noon. The name that will forever engraved in my heart.

“Angela…” I whispered and smiled. “It finally ended. Tapos na ang lahat.”

All the hardships and struggles that we faced has finally ended. But I know that this is not yet the end. As an ending means that there is a new start waiting for us. We have given another chance to start over. Just like how a sun set after a tiring day but will rise again, stronger than before.

There were so many thing that happened that we wanted to forget, memories that we wanted to bury. But it also left us a lesson that I know we will never forget. A lesson that taught us more than what we need to know.

Finally, the Bloody Human Chess game comes to its end.

I am Lucius D’Angelo, the former King of EL Ordre, staring at the name of the woman that I loved and will ever love, Angela Salazar.

Here I am, staring in front of her tombstone, reminiscing our memories together.

[End of Chess Pieces Series]

Chess Pieces New Year’s Special - Chapter 1

Artemis

“Ito, Ate. Mura, oh.”

I looked at what Fatima was holding. She’s showing me an unknown brand of barbecue marinated sauce. Napatingin tuloy ako sa hawak kong famous brand ng sauce and compared the price of the two. True enough, mas mura ang hawak ni Fatima instead sa akin.

I frowned and looked at her with so much confusion.

“I haven’t tried that brand.” I said.

Fatima looked at the two products. She was pouting when she looked at me again.

“Mas masarap nga ’to kaysa d’yan sa mahal na ’yan, ate, eh.” she said. She even looked at the brand of barbecue marinated sauce that I’m holding like it did something really bad to her. I couldn’t help but to giggle.

“Na-try mo na ’yan before?” tanong ko, talking about the sauce that she’s holding.

She smiled. “Oo, ate! Mas masarap pa talaga ’to.” she said so proudly.

I smiled. Fatima really looked so cute. Feeling ko tuloy ay nagkaroon ako ng little sister because of her. I just have the urge to protect her and not to let her down with anything.

And it warms my heart the way she calls me Ate. Ang cute-cute! Feeling ko talaga ay mabuting big sister tuloy ako. A role model to her little sister.

“Alright.” I put back the marinated sauce I’m holding to where I took it earlier. I looked at Fatima and smiled. “Then, let’s go with your brand.”

She smiled back at me and put the sauce in the cart.

We were at the grocery store, buying the ingredients of the foods that we’re gonna cook on New Year’s Eve. There are so many people who were also buying and usually, I will get really pissed with all these people. Ayoko kasi talaga makipagsiksikan and before, bumibili ako days bago mag-New Year’s Eve so hindi ako sasabay sa dagsa ng mga tao.

But now, I have companions naman. And I’m actually enjoying buying things with them compared noon na si Hunter lang ang kasama ko.

That husband of mine. He really likes going to the grocery with me. I’m fine with it since I have someone to push the cart for me and ang mga pagpili na lang sa mga products ang magiging problem ko.

Pero kanina, gusto talaga ni Hunter na sumama. Pero may kasama na kasi ako. And I’m worried na baka mainip lang s’ya since we have a lot of things to buy, eh. And I’m with the girls naman. Especially Fatima.

I’m really enjoying doing grocery with her! Wala kasi talaga akong pakialam sa price. And my mindset is. kapag mahal, then it’s good. Pero Fatima isn’t like that. Kanina n’ya pa nga ako kinokontra, eh. Sa bawat brand na kinukuha ko, palagi s’yang may panapat, saying that the brand she knew is better that my brand. And since na-try n’ya naman mostly, so sinusunod ko s’ya. Isa pa, she’s been cooking food all her life. While I’m still learning.

“You could’ve asked the maids to do the grocery. There are so many people here today and I fucking hate it!”

Pareho kaming napalingon ni Fatima sa likod where Eresh was. She was just following us. She didn’t say anything since we entered the grocery store, not until now. Maybe, sobrang nainis na s’ya sa kakasunod sa amin especially maraming tao pa today.

Fatima looked around, worry was in her eyes. Medyo malakas kasi ang pagkakasabi ni Eresh noon and looks like she didn’t even care if someone might hear her. She even rolled her eyes at us. I just smiled at her.

“I need to do this myself, Eresh. Since we’re the ones who will cook later.” I said and Fatima nodded.

“Tutulungan ko si Ate Artemis. Mas okay, ate, kung kami mismo bibili ng ingredients.”

Eresh rolled her eyes again and she didn’t say anything. Fatima and I took that as a signal that we should continue with what we’re doing.

It is obvious that Fatima really knows what she’s doing. Halatang sanay s’ya sa pamimili. And I noticed that she will look at the price first. Creed is her husband pero nagtitipid pa rin s’ya.

I know that Creed is rich. He even owns a law firm together with Kylo. Maybe that’s where he invested the money that he got from his friends. Also, to his family and Fatima’s future.

But Fatima, even though she’s technically rich now, she didn’t even change a bit. Nagtitipid pa rin s’ya at hindi bumibili ng mga sa tingin n’ya ay mahal if the cheaper one is better.

I guess old habits die hard.

On the other hand, Eresh is so different compared to Fatima. She’s classy and was used to being rich, like me, though it seems like Eresh isn’t used to normal things.

Just like doing grocery. I could tell that it wasn’t her first time in a grocery store pero mukhang ngayon lang s’ya nakapag-grocery talaga. Like buying so many things in one go. She has a disgusted look on her face as she looks around but there’s still confusion in her eyes.

Buti nga napilit namin s’yang sumama sa amin for today, eh! And I really couldn’t believe that she’s here with us!

Before, the first time I saw her, she has an aura around her letting people know that she won’t let anyone be in her life. That she’s fine with just herself. She didn’t care about anyone at all other than her own goal.

But she also seems scared but trying hard to look strong. Scared that someone might see her weakness and will use it against her. Her guard was always up.

When I first saw her, I couldn’t help but to be worried about her. She looked like a normal girl to me. But that normal girl was in the den of her enemies. Enemies that she had been fighting all her life. Enemies that her father taught her that she must kill.

She must’ve been scared that time… but because of the environment where she grew up, she was forced to act strong. Especially that she was the Queen.

I knew that the members of the EL Ordre are all kind and they wouldn’t hurt Eresh. No matter how mad Hunter was because of what she did, she would never hurt her. She would never hurt a woman just because he was mad at her. But Eresh didn’t know about that. She didn’t know anything about them at that time.

So I tried my best to make her feel comfortable. Even if it was so out of the blue, I invited her to bake with me. Baking is an art. Plus, Eresh really looked so cute with that pink apron on.

I was hoping that with that, she will be able to open herself even for just a bit. Because there was finally another woman in the hideout whom she could talk to. I did everything so she would feel comfortable around me, para maging magaan ang pakiramdam n’ya sa akin.

But the wall that she built around herself was so thick that I even thought no one would be able to take it down.

But Loki did. And I’m glad that he was able to do it, ’cause I really enjoy being with Eresh. She’s such a precious woman that still wanted to look so mataray but deep inside, she really cares about everyone. She just didn’t like to show it dahil hindi s’ya sanay sa ganoon.

I know, dahil hindi naman s’ya magpapapilit na sumama ngayon kung ayaw n’ya talaga sa amin ni Fatima. Hindi s’ya papayag na samahan akong mag-bake noon at magsuot ng pink na apron kung wala talaga s’yang pakialam sa lahat.

“Ate, ito na lang. Mas mura.”

I take a look at what Fatima’s holding. She showed it to me and I grimaced when I saw an unknown brand of baking powder that she’s recommending to me.

“Uh, no. Baka pangit ang maging taste ng cake.” I said as I tried hard not to offend her in any way.

I was thankful that she offered to help me buy the ingredients for our New Year’s Eve party. I was so excited! I mean, all of the boys will be there. Nandoon kaming lahat! Even Kuya Helios and Apollo, and of course, with their wives and kids!

This is the first New Year that we will celebrate together! I mean, with everyone!

“Here. This is what I always use. It tastes best.” I said and showed Fatima the brand that I always use whenever I bake.

Tapos na kaming mamili para sa ulam na iluluto namin for New Year’s Eve, It was my turn now to buy ingredients for the cake that I was going to bake. And Fatima was still helping me do it.

I saw her grimaced while looking at the product I just showed her. Hindi n’ya nga tinignan ang name nu’ng product, eh. She immediately turned it around to looked at the price tag at the back.

“Mahal, ate.” she insisted. “Ito na lang para mas makatipid tayo.”

“No, Fatima.” I said. “This is baking. I should use what I always use.”

“Pareho lang naman ’yan, ate. Price lang pinagkaiba.”

I shook my head. “No. Mag-iiba ang taste. Magkaiba naman ang cake sa ulam so it’s not the same. Kung anong ginagamit ko, that’s what I’m gonna buy.”

“Eh, ate! Ang mahal!” she exclaimed. “Ito na lang! Pareho lang naman sila.”

“The taste will be different nga!” I insisted but she shook her head.

“Hindi, ate. Sabi rin ni Jezel ito ang ginagamit n’ya, eh.”

“Oh, shut it! Both of you!” it was Eresh and she looked irritated. “Just buy them both and mixed them together!”

“No!” I said. “Mas lalong hindi pwede.”

Eresh looked at me, bewilderment was on her face. “So now, you’re attacking me.”

“I am not! I just couldn’t believe that you even suggested that ridiculous thing!”

“Oh, I’m not fucking sorry if I don’t know a thing about baking!” she glared at me and Fatima. “I shouldn’t have agreed to come here in this disgusting place with both of you kung gagawin n’yo lang akong audience ng pagtatalo n’yo!”

I stopped and stared at her. She looked really pissed. Her cheeks were starting to look reddish because of anger. Her chest heaved up and down before she crossed her arms over her chest. I figured that she did that to stop her anger.

I looked at Fatima. She was looking at Eresh too before she looked at me. There was amusement on her face. Hindi ko tuloy napigilan ang mapangiti which made her smile too.

We both giggled. Napatingin sa amin si Eresh and she looked so confused pero nandoon pa rin ang galit n’ya.

“What the fuck is wrong with you two?” she even asked.

Fatima grinned at her. “Ayaw mo kaming mag-away ni Ate Artemis, ate, no?”

“What?” Eresh asked. Napakurap-kurap ang mga mata n’ya.

“Aww… you’re so sweet!” I said. “You’re worried that it might end up in a big quarrel, right?”

Eresh looked at me like I’ve just turned into an alien and she didn’t know what to do at the unknown specie in front of her.

“Are you both drunk?” she even asked which made me chuckled.

I smiled and locked my arms on her arm. “Don’t worry about it. We’re not fighting.” I said and looked at Fatima. “Right?”

Fatima smiled at us so widely. Sunod-sunod din s’yang tumango and she looked really cute with that!

Eresh stared at us. Palipat-lipat ang tingin n’ya sa aming dalawa ni Fatima. She looked like she doesn’t know what to do with us until her eyes went down and she saw my arm clinging to her arm. She grimaced like she’s disgusted and removed my hold on her. Pareho kaming natawa ni Fatima.

Gosh! I really like being with these two! People who doesn’t really know Eresh might misunderstand her. They will think like she’s being maarte and masungit when in fact, mas maarte pa nga ako sa kanya. Though she’s really masungit but I really like how she reacts to everything. Nakakatuwa pa nga ang pagiging masungit n’ya. Hindi ako na-offend kahit kailan!

If I was the same brat before, maybe I will be one of those who will judge her so easily without really knowing her. I’m glad I’m quite different now.

Well, slight changes lang naman.

“Samahan n’yo na lang ako.” Fatima said after awhile. “Bibili pa ako ng ingredients para sa lumpiang shanghai ni Creed.”

“Ah, yes…” Eresh muttered but we both heard it. “The stupid lumpia glutton.”

Fatima and I chuckled.

“Dahil maganda ka naman, Ate Eresh, palalagpasin ko ang sinabi mong stupid ang asawa ko. Favorite n’ya lang talaga ang lumpiang shanghai.”

Eresh didn’t say anything and just rolled her eyes. Fatima chuckled and she started pushing our cart towards the meat section.

Dalawa na kaming nakasunod ni Eresh kay Fatima. I saw Eresh looking around those perishable goods. I saw her wrinkled her nose, like she doesn’t like the smell pero hindi naman tumigil at sumunod pa rin kay Fatima.

I was like that before. I don’t really like the smell of this section at the grocery store! But I have no choice. Sinikreto ko pa nga kay Hunter ang pag-aaral ko ng cooking, eh, so there were times before when I need to go alone at the grocery store to buy things like this. And it was so really eew when I wasn’t still used to the smell!

But I’m fine with it now. I just couldn’t help myself but to smile when I saw my reaction before on Eresh.

Pumwesto kami sa likod ni Fatima and we saw her pointed at something at the display rack. It was ground pork which was the most expensive of all the kinds of pork there. Natawa na lang ako dahil ready din pala s’yang gumastos as long as for her loved ones.

“Kuya doon po.” Fatima said as she pointed at her choice of ground pork. “ Ten kilos po.“

Both Eresh and I stilled and stared at Fatima. We were both expecting her to correct her words ’cause we both thought that she made a mistake. But she didn’t.

“Ten kilos po?” paniniguro pa noong grocery boy. Like he’s surprised too.

Fatima nodded eagerly. “Opo. Ten kilos.”

“Are you raising a pig?” Eresh asked. Fatima turned and looked at us.

She smiled. “Sa ating lahat na ’to, ate. Dinamihan ko na para sure na di mauubusan si Creed. Magwawala ’yon kapag naubusan s’ya.”

I chuckled! I wouldn’t be surprised if that will be the case! Creed really has an obsession with lumpiang shanghai!

Eresh shook her head before she rolled her eyes.

“Idiots.” I heard her muttered.

I giggled. Oh, I’m really looking forward to New Year’s Eve!

Chess Pieces New Year’s Special - Chapter 2

Thank you for being part of my 2020. I love you all, million, million and gazillion times!

Happy New Year everyone!

---

Eresh

I stared at the idiots who were flocking around the griller here in the garden area. There were seven of them and it looks like they were bullying the poor griller that didn’t even do anything to them.

They were just stupid idiots.

I crossed my arms and shifted my weight on my other foot. I am a few meters away from them as I watched each and everyone of them being more stupid as time goes by.

What the fuck? Nanonood lang ako pero I feel like I’m getting stupid too ’cause I’m actually wasting my time watching them! God! Their stupidity is contagious!

“Tanga, hindi gan’yan! ’Yung ulo muna ’yung unang iniihaw sa isda!” the man in a hoodie jacket said.

“Paano ’yon? ’Yung ulo muna ilalagay sa grill?” Gray asked.

Hunter, who was just watching those idiots, finally spoke. “I think we should make a fire first.”

I heard the man with amber eyes tsked. “Tangina, kainin n’yo na lang ng hilaw. Mga bobo, amputa.”

I scoffed. Oh my God? How more stupid can they be? Wala na bang katapusan ang katangahan nila?

I’m starting to pity the fish that Lucius was holding pero mukhang wala s’yang idea kung paano iyon ilalagay sa griller at sisimulang ihawin. Unfortunately, may mga tangang bubuyog sa paligid n’ya na bubulungan na nga lang sa gagawin ay ’yung mali pa talaga.

Stupid idiots.

I don’t know how to grill a fish but I’m pretty sure that they’re doing everything’s wrong. I rolled my eyes because of their stupidity and Loki, who was beside me, chuckled.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

I pointed at the idiots. “They’re hopeless.”

Loki chuckled again. He positioned himself at my back and hugged me from behind. I felt him caressing my tummy as I lean my weight on him.

Since this will be the very first New Year’s Eve that we’ll spend together, everyone decided to throw a party on the garden at Fatima’s and his husband’s house. It is also the very first New Year that we will spend after the Bloody Human Chess game has ended. Kaya doble-dobleng celebration ang gusto nila.

I just couldn’t believe that I actually agreed with this. To spend more time with them. I had a feeling na hindi ko kayang tagalan ang katangahan nila. It looks like this is a party for those stupid idiots!

I felt Loki kissed the back of my ears. I shivered with the sensation and leaned my body more on him.

Ah… Fucking pregnancy hormones.

“Late na ba kami?”

Napatingin kaming lahat sa mga bagong dating pero agad din akong napairap sa babaeng nakita ko. I suddenly felt so irritated and the urge to go home and spend the New Year alone with Loki sounds so good all of a sudden!

“Apollo!” I heard Gray exclaimed and he welcomed the family who just came. Nag-high five sila noong lalaking bagong dating.

I rolled my eyes. Fuck. Naiinis talaga ko. Those idiots welcomed the newcomers so warmly. Nag-usap-usap pa sila before they finally left the idiots and walked towards us.

“Loki.” bati noong lalaki kay Loki na kumalas sa pagkakayakap sa akin. It made me rolled my eyes again.

“Apollo…” he greeted and looked at the woman beside him who was holding the hand of a little boy. “My lady.”

Oh, fuck it! Hanggang ngayon ’yon pa rin talaga ang tawag n’ya sa babaeng ’yon?

I saw the man put his arms around his wife’s shoulders. He had a hard time doing it as he’s holding a little girl on his arms. He actually glared at Loki but this flirt beside me just chuckled.

“Hindi ka pa din nagbabago.” said Loki. I thought that Apollo would actually say some rebuttal but he just smirked instead.

“Hirap mong karibal, eh. Laki ng lamang mo.” he said.

Nagtawanan ang dalawa at hindi ko mapigilan ang mapairap. Boys… There are times that I thought I really know everything about men especially that my father thought me things about them so I could seduced the EL Ordre’s King easily. Pero simula nang mapiligiran nila ako ever since Loki bought me to their hideout, I realized that I was wrong.

Men were unpredictable, but still stupid creatures.

Loki and Apollo actually telling each of their stories. Nagkamustahan sila and based on what I heard, matagal nang hindi na pala nagkita ang dalawa even if Apollo is Artemis’ twin brother. Kaya hindi na ako nagtaka kung marami silang napagkwentuhan, together with Daphne.

And watching them, hearing their stories, I started to feel so out of place. Parang hindi ako kasali sa mundo nila kung mag-usap silang tatlo. They looked happy as they caught up with each other’s stories.

I guess… I’m really different from them.

The way how I lived, the way how I did my best to survive was really different. I remember that Codee used to call me as a peculiar Queen before. Because of the way I act was far from how normal people would react. That’s why I got the name as the Mad Queen. Because I’m crazy.

I looked at Loki smiling as he tells stories to Daphne. I stared at the woman and she’s glowing. Napayuko tuloy ako sa tyan kong may kalakihan na. I am sixteen weeks pregnant.

Fuck… I don’t want to feel insecure ’cause Daphne is such a plain woman. But with the gorgeous me, starting to look like I am carrying a beach ball inside my tummy, I guess it wasn’t pleasant to the eyes of men.

God… what if Loki realize that I looked so ugly with my big tummy? Oh, fuck. Can I take it? Can I take the disgusted look in his eyes whenever he looks at me?

Beach ball, please make Mommy prettier, okay? So your Dad won’t leave us over some plain girl.

Seems like Loki felt what I was feeling ’cause he suddenly snaked his arm around my waist and pulled me close to him. I don’t know. He was always like this. Na kahit hindi ko sabihin sa kanya ang lahat ay nakakaramdam agad s’ya. Nalalaman n’ya ang totoong saloobin ko. Na sobrang naging madali para sa akin kapag ganito s’ya ’cause I’m still learning to express what I truly feel inside.

’Cause Loki is like that. And I feel like it will be unfair for him if I couldn’t tell him about everything.

Loki was still talking to Apollo but his arms were on my waist now. We were so close that I could feel his body heat, giving me comfort and extinguishing the insecurities that I just felt earlier. Napangiti tuloy ako.

I looked at Daphne and I saw her looking at me. I figured na kanina pa s’ya nakatingin. She was smiling at me but I rolled my eyes at her.

We’re not friends. I’m not obligated to return her smile.

“Eresh!”

Napatingin kaming lahat sa tumawag sa akin and I saw Artemis walking towards us. She was looking at me first before her gaze turned towards Daphne and that made her smile widely.

“You’re here!” Artemis greeted Daphne before she turned at the kids. “My pamangkins. Kiss Tita, c’mon.”

The kids did what she wanted. Nakatingin lang kaming lahat sa kanya. Pagkatapos ay tinignan n’ya kaming dalawa ni Daphne.

“Let’s go inside. We need more hands.” she said.

“Hey, brat! Saan mo na naman dadalhin ang asawa ko?” it was Apollo but Artemis glared at him.

“You, jerk! Sa loob lang! Hindi mawawala si Daphne!”

“Let’s help the boys. They’re having a hard time grilling the fish.” Loki said to Apollo and I nodded in approval ’cause when I look at those idiots, it looks like they were still doing some planning on how to actually grill a fish.

“Good idea.” I said. “They’re a bunch of idiots anyway.”

Loki chuckled and then we both parted ways. Sinamahan s’ya ni Apollo na lumapit doon sa mga lalaki while Artemis, Daphne and I went inside the house.

When we’re finally inside, I was confused if I’m in Fatima’s house or some lumpiang shanghai factory. It looked so messy! Especially the table! Sa gitna ay ’yong ground pork with seasoning already and the girls were sitting around the table. Nagbabalot sila ng lumpia!

“We really need help.” Artemis said. “Hindi namin kayang tapusin ’to kung kami lang.”

I rolled my eyes. The fuck? Ang dami kasing binili pero hindi naman pala kayang gawin lahat!

“Okay.” said Daphne beside me with a smile on her face. Napairap na naman ako lalo na nang bumaling sa akin si Artemis.

“Please, Eresh.”

I looked at her, completely bewildered.

“What? Are you drunk? Pagbabalutin mo ako ng lumpia?” I looked at Fatima. “Hindi mo pala kayang mag-isa that you’re even asking for everyone’s help, yet ang dami ng binili mo! Ten kilos? Really?”

Fatima pouted before she looked down. Napairap na naman ako dahil mukha s’yang maiiyak!

I groaned and sat on the chair beside Codee. Isa-isa ko silang tinignan nang masama.

“I don’t know how to wrap a lumpia!”

“Madali lang naman, Miss Levitsky.” said Daphne who sat beside Artemis. Napatingin ang lahat sa kanya like she just said something weird.

“Miss Levitsky ang tawag mo kay Ate Eresh?” asked Codee who continued wrapping lumpia beside me. I watched and observe how she do it.

“Oo.” I heard Daphne answered.

“Bakit?” it was Vexen who asked her.

“Iyon ang sabi n’ya, eh.”

I didn’t hear someone speak again after that. I was busy looking at Codee on how she wraps the lumpia when she suddenly stopped. Napatingin ako sa kanya at nakita kong nakatitig s’ya sa akin.

“What?” I asked. I looked around and saw them all looking at me. “What?” I asked again.

Artemis grinned at me. “Nagseselos ka pa rin?”

I rolled my eyes. “Of course not. I just don’t want her calling me by my name.” I said and continued wrapping the lumpia even if I don’t have any idea on how to do it.

They stopped bombarding me with questions  and continued with what we’re doing. Nakuha ko naman kaagad ang tamang pagbabalot ng lumpia but I think I’m too slow. I was spending almost five minutes with one piece habang sila ay nakakatatlo na sa ganoong minuto.

I rolled my eyes. This is not a competition. HIndi naman kami nagpaparamihan ng babalutin. Plus, it’s my first time doing this!

Dammit! Sana talaga ay hindi na ako pumayag na kasama silang i-celebrate ang New Year ngayon if only I have known na pagbabalutin lang pala nila ako ng lumpia! Ang dami-dami pa ng babalutin namin at mukhang hindi nga nababawasan ’yong ground pork!

I am surrounded by idiots!

Suddenly, we heard the boys’ voices as they entered the house. Napatingin kaming lahat sa kanila and we saw them looking at the plate that the man in a hoodie jacket was holding. There’s something blackish on the plate.

Charcoal?

“Ano ’yan?” I heard Vexen asked.

“Ewan ko sa mga putanginang ’yan.” the man with the amber eyes said. He looked so pissed.

“’Yong isda!” Creed answered. “Pinaghirapan naming ihawin ’to!”

“You mean you tried hard making that poison to kill us.” I said.

Gray tsked. “Sabi ko sa’yo, Kuya, mali ginagawa natin, eh.”

“Sabi ko kasing unahin muna ang gumawa ng apoy.” it was Hunter.

“Hindi mo din alam kung paano mag-ihaw ng isda, L?” Codee asked his man who was just silent and looked so bored with what’s happening.

“No.” ang maikli pang sagot n’ya.

I heard Lucius chuckled. “Baka mag-ihaw ng laptop pwede pa.”

“Parang may alam ka kung paano mag-ihaw ng isda, ah?” it was Apollo. He was chuckling when he said that.

“Bakit ikaw? May alam ka kung paano mag-ihaw ng isda?” balik na tanong ni Lucius sa kanya.

“Syempre. Nakakatawa lang kayong panoorin kaya ’di ko kayo tinuruan.”

“It doesn’t look edible.” Gon said who was still staring intently at the thing on the plate.

“Itatapon natin?” asked the man in a hoodie jacket.

I heard Vexen tsked. Napatingin ako sa kanya at nakita ko ang inis sa mukha n’ya. “Mukha bang makakain ’yan?”

Death showed himself. Kanina pa s’ya nasa loob ng kitchen at nagluluto.

He looked at the boys. I saw him frowned when he saw what the man in a hoodie jacket was holding.

“Anong ginawa n’yo? Kinawawa n’yo ’yung isda.”

Wow! He could tell that it’s a fish? I even thought that it was really a charcoal! That’s how bad the fish looks now! It was deformed!

The boys suddenly fell silent when Death took the plate from the man in a hoodie jacket. They look like kids being scolded by their parents.

“Nagsayang lang kayo ng pagkain.” Death tsked. “Magaling lang kayong pumatay pero ’di kayo marunong mag-ihaw lang ng isda?”

“Ay, ’di ako marunong pumatay.” Apollo suddenly butted in. “Magaling gumawa ng bata pwede pa.”

I saw Daphne blushed because of the vulgar words from her husband. Napayuko s’ya at hindi na makatingin sa kahit na sino.

Gray chuckled. Pabiro n’yang sinuntok sa dibdib si APollo.

“Tarantado ka talaga.”

I stared at Gray and I couldn’t help but to feel relieve when I saw the smile on his face. What I did to him was too much. He was greatly affected by the game and I was even worried that I couldn’t bring back the old him. But because Hunter didn’t give up on him, he finally succeeded on bringing his brother back.

I’m so relieved…

“Turuan ko kayong mag-ihaw ng isda.” Death said after awhile. “Marami pa akong gagawin sa kusina kaya kayo talaga ang mag-iihaw.”

It was supposed to be Artemis and Fatima who will cook but because of this ten fucking kilos of ground pork, nawalan na sila ng oras. Ilang oras na lang din at magnu-New Year na.

The boys went outside but Loki remained here and even sat beside me. Napatingin ako sa kanya.

“You won’t go with them?” I asked.

He looked at me and smiled warmly.

“Nah, Death could handle them.” he said as he tilted his head when he stared at me. “Just teach me how to make a lumpia.”

Natawa ako ’cause I couldn’t really imagine a royal blood like him, the Prince of York, making a lumpia for the New Year’s Eve!

But this is such a rare opportunity so I grabbed it. I started teaching him how to wrap the ground pork with a lumpia wrapper. I laughed hard when the lumpia that he’s doing looked so deformed!

Fuck… Loki could easily lighten up my mood.

I looked at the girls and decided to ask them something.

“Are you okay with stupid husbands like them?” I asked. Naramdaman kong hinalikan ako ni Loki sa gilid ng ulo ko. It was his way of stopping me pero hindi ko s’ya pinansin. The girls didn’t look offended though. They even smiled at me.

“Hindi stupid si Death.” Vexen said. “Marunong s’yang magluto.”

“Cute nga nila, ate, eh.” Codee said on the other hand. “Isda lang pero parang ang laki-laki na ng problema nila.”

They all laughed like it was such a good thing and they even agreed with what Codee said. I just rolled my eyes and paid no attention to them.

These girls are also hopeless.

“Maraming salamat sa paggawa ng lumpiang shanghai ko, mga alipin.”

We all looked at the man in a hoodie jacket who entered the house again. He was holding his newborn daughter on his arms.

“What did you say?” I heard Artemis asked. She looked so offended with what he just called us.

I’m not, though. ’Cause I understand that this man is just so stupid.

“Sir Creed! Tinutulungan na nga nila ako tapos ganyan ka pa?” saway ni Fatima sa asawa n’ya. But the man just chuckled and went near her.

“I’m sorry, baby. But don’t call me Sir again. Sa kama na lang.”

“Creed!” nag-eeskandalong saway ni Fatima but his idiotic husband just laughed.

“Ang bastos, ha?” Artemis commented.

“Kadiri ka talaga.” Vexen said.

I looked at them, confusion is in my eyes.

“What’s wrong with that?” I asked. “I’m calling Loki as ‘Your Majesty’ in bed.”

The girls blushed and Loki, who was beside me, chuckled.

I rolled my eyes. Gosh… These girls.

“Hi. Sorry kung late kami.”

We all looked at the people who just entered the house. I saw an elegant looking woman and I figured that the man with an electric blue eyes beside her is her husband. He was holding a little girl on his arms. May kasama pa silang batang babae na mukhang panganay nila, hawak sa kamay ang isang batang lalaki which I think is the same age with the child that the husband was holding.

They looked alike. I guess they’re twins?

“It’s fine, Zuri.” it was Artemis but she pointed the chair beside her. “Pero tulungan mo kaming magbalot dito.”

The woman, Zuri, laughed pero hindi naman umangal. She willingly sat beside Artemis. Tumabi sa kanya ang anak n’yang panganay who has the same blue eyes as her father. She helped making lumpia too. Ibinilin naman ni Zuri ang kambal sa asawa n’ya, who she introduced to us.

This family is the reason why Vander couldn’t join with us that made Vexen sad. I don’t really know the full details and they didn’t even told me anything about it. Pero sa mga narinig ko, I think that Vander did something bad to the family that made Zuri and her firstborn traumatized. And instead of killing Vander, Helios gave him a chance but made him swear not to appear in front of his family again.

That’s sad but I guess that it was also for the best.

Apollo went in. I saw him carrying Cupid on his arms. Kasunod si Death na kalong din ang anak nila ni Vexen na si Raven. Hunter also went in and he was carrying one of his twins.

“Sinong nag-iihaw ng isda?” Vexen asked her husband but it was Apollo who answered.

“Sina Gray. Pinapaulan na din ng mura ni Kylo ’yung mga isda.”

They all laughed.

I stared at the men standing around us. They were carrying their child and whenever they look at them, no matter how harsh they may look, they will have a gentle expression on their face as they looked at their child.

I couldn’t help but to imagine Loki being like this. It made me excited giving birth to my beach ball.

We decided not to wrap all of the ten fucking kilos of ground pork dahil baka sa susunod na New Year na daw kami matapos. And I couldn’t believe that they actually thought of that just now! Ang akala ko ay tatapusin talaga nila ang pagbabalot ng lumpiang shanghai!

When the last sixty minutes of the year finally set, nandoon na kaming lahat sa garden. Nakahanda ang mga niluto nila sa lamesa na nilabas pa talaga ng mga lalaki.

We were all having fun. We were drinking and talking like we were really close friends for a long time now. Ang mga bata ay pinaalaga muna sa mga katulong na isinama rin sa bahay nina Fatima so they will have someone to look over their child.

When the last five minutes of the year came, Artemis took out the cake that she baked. It was a two layered cake with a design for the New Year. Nasa itaas ang mga numero na sasalubungin ng lahat.

“Ang ganda, ate!” I heard Fatima exclaimed as she stared at the cake.

“Worth it ang pag-aaral mo ng baking at cooking para kay Hunter.” Apollo said as he looked proudly at his twin.

Hunter pulled his wife close to him and kiss her head. “Yeah. A goddess learning how to cook for her hunter. It was really an honor.”

We anticipated until the last ten seconds came. We all stood up as they started the countdown and I just watched them.

I’m glad… That I decided to celebrate the New Year with them.

“Ten! Nine! Eight!”

“Loki…” I whispered. I looked up to him who was standing beside me. “Thank you for introducing this family to me.”

“Seven! Six!”

Loki smiled warmly at me.

“You deserve it.” he said as he stared at me with so much love in his eyes.

“Five! Four!

I smiled.

“I love you so much, Loki.” I said.

“Three! Two! One”

“Stay with me forever, Eresh.”

“Happy New Year!”

Loki leaned in and gave me a sweet and heartwarming kiss. I closed my eyes but I couldn’t stop my tears from falling because of so much happiness I’m feeling inside.

Shit… Pregnancy hormones.

Naghiwalay ang mga labi namin. Loki smiled and he wiped the tears on my cheeks.

“Umiiyak si Eresh!”

The stupid lumpia glutton said that so loudly that despite the sounds of the fireworks on the sky, they all heard it! Napatingin tuloy lahat sa akin!

Why didn’t I kill him before?

I tried to stop my tears but my stupid eyes just keep on producing more!

“Damn these tears!” I frustratedly said as I wiped my tears harshly off my face. They all laughed because of my stupidity.

Great!

I looked at them after I’ve calmed down. They were all looking at me with a smile on their faces. Hindi ko na naman napigilan ang mapaiyak.

“I’m just so happy right now.” I said. “I couldn’t stop my tears!”

They all chuckled but they didn’t say anything so I continued.

I am learning how to express myself so I wouldn’t be misunderstood anymore. And this is my beginning.

“Before, I don’t really celebrate New Years. Ang nasa isip ko lang noon, if next year ba, matatalo ko na ang EL Ordre. Pero ngayon, I’m celebrating it with everyone. The people I considered as my enemies before but now, as my family.”

“Aww…” I heard Artemis said before she approached me and hugged me.

“I love you, Ate Eresh.” Codee said that made me cry even more. She hugged me as well. Fatima and Vexen too.

Daphne approached me but she didn’t hug me and just stand near us. Kumalas ang mga nakayakap sa akin pero ako ay nakatingin na kay Daphne.

“Since it’s New Year, I’ll let you call me by my name.” I said.

Daphne chuckled and hugged me too.

“Happy New Year, Eresh.” she said.

I let go of her and smiled at her.

“Happy New Year, Daphne.”

I wasn’t expecting that I’m going to enjoy celebrating the New Year with these people. I thought of them as idiots but they are the most genuine and heartwarming people I’ve ever met.

I am looking forward to more years with them.

I felt Loki hugged me after everyone finally let me go. He looked down at me. His sea-green eyes looked so magical as it reflected the fireworks above.

“Happy New Year, my Queen.” he said.

I smiled at him.

“Happy New Year, my King.”