Soulstone Academy

Chapter Twenty-Six: Memories

"What- What did you just call me-"

My words died down when she disappeared once again, all the darkness leaving as soon as the sun peeked through the trees.

Hindi ko alam kung anong dapat na maramdaman o ang karapat-dapat na reaksiyon sa pagtawag niya nang makita ang babae na nasa harap ko.

Her hair was as dark as the night, face as smooth and solemn as the moon, and eyes that sparkles like stars. She was the epitome of night, as if the goddess herself has landed unto the land, but still, there was that human feeling about her that erased my assumption of ethereal. Ang mas nakakabahala pa ay nakikita ko ang itsura ng babaeng anino na laging sumusunod sa akin. It wasn't even a few minutes but some of her reactions and movements resembles familiarity.

She reminds me of the woman who called me her daughter.

"Si Sarienne..."

Binalingan ko si Tamara, nagulat sa boses niyang pumutol sa iniisip ko. "Sarienne?"

Dahan-dahan ang naging sagot na tango niya. "That's what Sarienne looks like when she was young and alive. Like her twin, she was regarded as one of the most beautiful woman in Hiraya."

I stared at the woman in front of me. She was sitting in a large uprooted tree, the cause of such damage unknown to me. And just like how Tamara has described her, or how the people back then admired her, she was truly a beauty. Memorably gorgeous as each night sky but a presence as cold as the late evenings. Her face that looked kind is a contrast to her dangerously dark eyes.

"Pero ang tanong..." Griffin started, anxiously looking around the forest we were in. "Bakit tayo nandito?"

It was my question as well. Nang tuluyang mawala ang dilim na dulot ng babae ay natagpuan na lang namin ang sarili sa gitna ng gubat.

Dusk was approaching as the sun slowly settled behind the trees. The birds chirped their afternoon songs and the nocturne animals got ready for their hunt. The forest was nowhere familiar to my eyes, but it was both peaceful and eerie. Sa bigat ng tensiyon na mayroon sa ere, natitiyak kong may mangyayaring masama maya-maya.

"Sinasabi kong hindi magandang ideya ang pagbalik natin doon, Sarienne. This must be a trap they're setting."

I glanced at the man who sat opposite to Sarienne. He had a strikingly handsome face, one that would attract hundreds of maidens. His dark blue hair was slightly long, stopping just above his collarbone, and it was tied neatly on a manbun. For some reason, that only emphasized his masculine features, eliciting a quiet squeak from a blushing Tamara.

Napatingin kaming lahat sa kaniya. The distaste that flashed by Azriel's eyes didn't leave unnoticed.

"Kinikilig ka?" tila akusa kong tanong.

"No, I mean, nag-gwapuhan lang." halos mapanguso siya sa pagdepensa. "That's Ryuu. Ang kasama ni Sarienne sa pagtakas dito."

"Her lover." I deadpanned.

"Hindi naman ata magandang description ang lover, Raven. She would be cheating on Eleazar then, especially that she's pregnant during these times."

Griffin's response made me stupid. I did a double-take on Sarienne, taking in her blooming expression and her slight shift of position made me aware of her pregnant belly.

"She's pregnant?!"

Tumango si Azriel. "The Second War is normally forbidden to be discussed or told, but the heroic appearance of Sarienne never died. At the time, she was a mother, deciding to save her firstborn at the risk of her new one."

"Kung gano'n..." inikot ko ang tingin sa gubat na kinaroroonan namin. "Nandito tayo sa gubat na pinapahingaan nila bago ang Second War."

"How did you come to that conclusion?"