Every Tick of Serendipity ( Ruler of Fate Series #3 )

SIMULA

Simula

The fairy godmother once said that when midnight sets, all she has given her will disappear — slowly, surely, until no single trace is left behind.

There's only one rule in that story...

And that is to leave the ball and go home before the time runs out.

Hurry... And don't ever, ever look back. For the spell will soon come to an end, and the truth will again be revealed and immersed in the containing place where the fairy godmother has hidden them.

But... How about me? What happened to the both of us? Is the magic only for Cinderella and her prince? To experience the warmth of each other's hand, dancing with the smiles, content, and not minding the people, crickets, and shivers of the wind hugging their skin.

Are we cursed, banned, and exiled to have this path? To play in a twisted game where our own lives are at stake? This is a maze, if I may be honest. Where every alley is filled with fog, the walls are made up of tall grass, and there's nothing but us, at the very far and opposite of each other, seeking comfort and warmth only we could provide.

Are we destined for this? To only speak our feelings when the hands of the clock are all aligned? Where every twelve are both the happiest and also where the suffering strikes all at once.

I asked you again...

Don't I deserve the light coming from the tip of your wand, Fairy Godmother? Why does it have to be us out of all the people there are? Why did you choose the two of our barely living souls to experience how our lips quiver, our eyes sting, our hearts clench, our hands sweat, and our feet freeze?

It's as if our hearts were a bag of heavy clouds, expressing themselves through the drastic change in the weather. Crying... Because of the weight and heavy baggage, it couldn't hold on any longer.

And from that... Just like how the sun hides and the storm turns wild, it is similar to what happened when the tick finally ended for us both.

Quite the irony this is... Cinderella had her happy ending in a big royal castle with a prince by her side. All the linings, walls, and decorations are made of high-quality materials, especially gold and diamond. There's a feast and celebration every time of the year. And yet, what you have given me is the pure darkness of the cave? The droplets of water that I was only allowed to taste? And the cold, which was supposed to be my companion throughout the years?

All of it is nothing but gray, empty, and pure silence — dead and lonely because we don't feel each other's touch and presence anymore.

"How many seconds, minutes..." My lips quivered, "H-Hours... Days—" I face-palmed my face when my voice suddenly cracked. "M-Months?" I asked, feeling lost more than ever. "Or years..."

I closed both of my eyes, "Can you come back to me?" and opened them again, "For me?" nanghihinang pakiusap at bulong ko sa hangin.

I clasped my hands together, "P-Please... Just tell me where you are." ang mga tuhod ko ay kusang bumigay na ikinaluhod ko sa lupa. "One call... And I'll be right there by your side." I asked, praying and hoping for the universe to hear me. "H-Help me..." I mumbled, with my single tear rolling down on my cheek.

I already told you how I can risk it all — everything against everything. You and I, against the odds of us, destroying ourselves and even our insanity. We barely express our love. So, why did you have to leave all of a sudden?

All of these questions and thoughts keep lurking in my mind. So, I asked you again, and for the second time, Fairy Godmother.

You set the rules loud and clear for her... To Cinderella...

But why can't you do it to me?

Why is there no single hint of a reminder for all the pain that came back then? For the sick feeling I'm having right now? And to the next batch of crying and screaming that will come?

How much more should this make us suffer? To what extent, exactly? How many buckets, should I cry and mourn for our cruel love? For the fate you brought to us?

Should I wait for the next twelve to know, Fairy Godmother?