Midst

Chapter 3

The room felt tense and dark, with Lakaydarang staring mysteriously over Jumantaw. Driven by curiosity, Nara took a hesitant step forward, "I saw Uman come out of the storage room just now," she confessed, her voice barely a whisper but she is trying to lighten up the mood, "He must have been drinking all night, but with I do not know who."

Lakaydarang's sharp gaze flicked from Nara to Jumantaw again. "We were the ones drinking," she declared, a ghost of a smile playing on her lips. "And Jumantaw here," she continued, her voice laced with a subtle barb, "...seems to have forgotten some details."

Jumantaw, caught in the crossfire of conflicting emotions, turned pale and his fingertips were as cold as ice. Nara, sensing a crack in the facade, saw her chance. "What did Uman do?" she blurted out, the words erupting before she could hold them back.

The air in the room shifted, the temperature dropping several degrees. Lakaydarang's smile vanished, replaced by a mask of steely resolve. "Don't concern yourself, Narasagon, is it?" she purred, her voice deceptively sweet, "It's just a lovers' quarrel."

Nara took a while before she replied, "Oh, I see. I'm sorry."

A suffocating silence descended, thick enough to choke on. Under Lakaydarang's gaze, the air itself seemed to crackle with unspoken truths, each word a carefully placed pawn in a game played in the shadows. Nara could only nod, her mind grappling with unspoken questions and a dawning realization that the mystery of Lakaydarang was far deeper than she had ever imagined.

Lakaydarang, aware of the girl's unease, turned to Jumantaw. "Perhaps," she suggested, her voice regaining its honeyed sweetness, "...a moment alone would help?"

Jumantaw, unable to meet her gaze, mumbled his agreement and signaled Nara. She is hesitant, especially since her friend was more nervous than her but she wouldn't want to be involved in a lovers' quarrel so, she left alone with her racing thoughts, retreated to the garden right in front of the shop.

"Excuse me for now." As she left peacefully.

The weight of Lakaydarang's veiled threats pressing down on her like a physical force. As she sat on the cold stone bench, clutching her clothes for comfort, a question echoed in the silence, "What did Uman do exactly?"

From her distance she tried to eavesdrop, she was expecting shouting, but she could not even hear a whisper from the two inside.

A desperate prayer hung on her lips, each tick of the clock amplifying her longing for things to go back to how they were. Finally, the door swung open, revealing Lakaydarang and Jumantaw. Nara, quick on her feet, stood up and fired off, "Where are you two off to?" Lakaydarang, clearly annoyed by the barrage of questions, tried to force a smile.

"We just need some fresh air," she responded. Nara, concerned for her friend, was about to approach when Lakaydarang's eyes narrowed, signaling that approaching might not be the best idea.

In the heat of the moment, Jumantaw, fueled by emotions, shouted at Nara, "Stay away!" Shocked and frozen, Nara could only absorb the impact of his scream.

Lakaydarang's apology sounded forced, "Nara, I apologize for Jumantaw's behavior. Maybe he's still not recovered from our fight last night. These are just lingering emotions. Don't worry, I'll take care of it, I'll fix him and return him here safe and sound once everything settles. Now, if you don't mind, we're leaving. Pass on my regards to his father and tell him I regret not stopping by when he was around. I'll make amends for that."

With that, they departed, a carriage pulled by two black horses and a fittingly mysterious coachman waiting for them. Neither Jumantaw nor Lakaydarang spared another glance at Nara before disappearing.

The air in Aganlan suddenly crackled with tension as Nara faced an unprecedented offense. Never had anyone in the kingdom dared to unleash such a tirade against her, let alone Lakaydarang's shockingly rude behavior. The encounter left Nara bewildered, especially considering it was only their second meeting.

"She's a newcomer in Uman's life, and yet she feels entitled to act that way to his long-time friends. Shouldn't she be a bit more pleasant so we could warm up to her as Uman's girlfriend?" Nara mused, grappling with the unexpected harshness she had just endured.

Seeking refuge from the drama, she retreated into the flower shop, throwing herself into work to distract herself from the unsettling confrontation. The intensity of the moment lingered in her mind, but she knew dwelling on it would only fuel the flames in her head.

Once the initial heat subsided, Nara found herself pondering Lakaydarang's cryptic promise to "...fix him." A sense of confusion gnawed at her, leaving her to wonder if Uman's return would be delayed. Deciding to clear the air, she waited for Ramataw, hoping their conversation would shed light on the bizarre turn of events.

When Ramataw arrived, Nara quickly approached him and told him everything that happened, Ramataw could feel the fear in the girl's eyes.

"I apologize Nara for my son's behavior towards you. I want to discipline him, but his stubbornness might give me a heart attack. He is very dominant towards me nowadays. I didn't raise him to be like that, but since he and Lakaydarang started dating, he has learned to beat the patience out of me, and he is talking back against me when I scold him." Ramataw said, he is so sad. The building up tears in his eyes was saying how hurt he was.

He fell to his knees because of how devastated he felt. Ramataw's shoulders shook with each breath, hands gnarled like old tree roots clutching at his worn-out soiled pants. " I don't know what's going on with him," he rasped, voice thick with unshed tears. " If only his mother was here. I failed as his father..." his voice broke.

Nara kneeled beside him and put her arm around Ramataw, tears started to fall from his exhausted eyes. She knew Jumantaw, the boy who used to bring laughter to anyone that surrounded him. Now, his rebellion raged like a wildfire, leaving charred remains where laughter once blossomed.

He leaned against her, his sobs finally quieted, replaced by a sigh that carried the weight of loss and love.

Nara was thinking deeply at that time. What can someone like her do who knows nothing about relationships or how people's minds work.

"Let him be Nara, Uman is grown up. He already knows the consequences of his choices in life, and he must stand by them. Maybe my son is like that because this is the first time, he has had a girlfriend." He suggested, but Nara believes that it doesn't seem to be right.

She was suddenly brought to life as she remembered something she should never forget about her, something only she can only do. Her gaze, once modest, now burned with a determination fueled by an ancient power—her Manador powers, "Don't worry sir, we will make sure he returns back to himself."

With a dedicated look she swore to herself that she was no longer hiding anymore, "The people around me are calling for my help. It is the time to show what I got." Despite being so confident, she still needs to use her healing powers in secrecy to avoid getting killed by Tapagkatan assassins hiding around the kingdom.

Nails digging into her palms, she envisioned what might be the perfect step for this plan.