Frontier Horizon

Chapter LI: Beliefs and Doubts

L O R A

Sa paglabas ko ng Mariana, doon ko lang nasimulang maproseso ang mga napag-usapan. At sa tabil ng aking dila, ngayon lamang ako nanahimik. I don't know what to say.

Pantheon ordering the extinction of a race is just. . . absurd. Hindi ko inaasahang aabot sa ganitong punto. Even with their mutative appearances, cannibals are still considered as humans.

It's not a first time for me to kill a human, but again, this is different. This is a war, and I know how this will end—a lot of casualties for both parties.

"Hey, Lora, everything okay?" Bumungad sa akin ang mukha ni Cyllan na puno ng pag-aalala. Sa lalim ng aking iniisip ay hindi ko namalayang nakabalik na pala ako sa aming mansyon.

"I feel lost." Iyon lang ang mga nabitawan kong salita. Binagsak ko ang aking katawan sa sofa. Umupo naman sa aking tabi si Cyllan.

"What happened? Anong napag-usapan niyo sa Mariana?"

"Things got out of control. The Pantheon will bomb The Lair in order to kill every cannibal. I don't know when, but the Deathstalkers will perform an extraction to save Yzra and Aunt Arize," I stated and heaved a deep sigh.

"And what's going on through your mind right now?"

"I don't know, Cyllan, but it feels wrong. I've been killing people since I was a child, but it feels wrong."

"Are you afraid everything's going to change?" Napatayo ako dahil sa kaniyang winika.

"I don't care about change, Cyllan," hindi ko pagsang-ayon sa kaniya. "Don't you feel that something is suspicious? Masyadong mabilis lahat ng pangyayari."

"Okay, go on. I'm listening."

"Three months ago, we were deployed inside the city because of the said attack of cannibals. They reason it with an occult activity—a ritual, that will void the protective barrier surrounding Medallion."

"And your point is?" Napalingon ako kay Arima na kasalukuyang bumababa ng hagdan. Natitiyak kong kanina pa siya nakikinig sa usapan namin ni Cyllan at ngayon lang niya napagdesisyonang makisali.

"A ritual," pagbibigay kong diin. "Ilang siglo nang tahimik na namumuhay ang mga cannibal sa kagubatan pero bigla na lang silang naghasik ng lagim?" pagbubuo ko sa aking punto.

"Maybe they were getting hungry and they started to crave for human flesh?"

"No, Arima. Their characteristics compliment their territory and lifestyle. Nabubuhay sila sa pangangaso at pagtatanim. And we all know that the forest is bountiful when it comes to food resources." Nagsimula akong maglakad pabalik-balik. Ang aking kanang kamay ay nakahawak sa aking baba.

"It's also obvious that they didn't need to consume human flesh to survive. Because if that's the case, they'll be long gone due to Frontier Horizon." I clicked my tongue. Kung nandito lang si Yzra ay may katulong sana akong mag-isip.

"Maybe someone's manipulating the cannibals. I heard from Libby one time that she heard the cannibal speak—"

"—And since our record stated that cannibals' intellect cannot progress on their own, someone definitely taught them how," pagpapatuloy ko sa sinasabi ni Arima. Now, the question is who?

"Pero sandali lang," pagsingit ni Cyllan. "Kung may kumokontrol lang sa mga cannibal, ibig sabihin ay hindi totoo ang ritwal?" pagpupunto niya, dahilan upang muli akong mapaisip.

"At kung hindi totoo ang ritwal, it is also not true that the barrier is weakening," dagdag pa ni Arima.

I closed my eyes tightly as I tried to assemble each puzzle pieces. Think, Lora. What would Yzra conclude with the current situation?

"Ibig sabihin din ba, hindi totoo sina Ashanti at Dorothy?"

"Pero kung ganoon, saan tayo nagmula? Paano tayo nag-exist?"

The book. That's it! The Curtain Fall will tell us all the answers we've been looking for. It may be written in a fictional way, with all the fantasy and stuff, but the truth lies in it. All I have to do is to decode the secret messages.

"Lora, saan ka pupunta?" tanong ni Arima dahil sa bigla kong pag-alis.

"I'm going to read that book again," I replied as I continuously took the stairs without looking back.

"We're coming with you!" Narinig ko naman ang nagmamadali nilang mga yabag ng paa'ng sumusunod sa akin.

Sa pagpasok ko sa aking silid, agad kong kinuha ang libro mula sa ilalim ng aking unan. Sa pagbuklat ko nito, bumungad sa akin ang teksto na maaaring may ibang kahulugan.

┏

Naging katuwang ako ni Ashanti
sa pagpaplano ng kinabukasan.
Wala kaming ibang hinangad kung
hindi ang kaunlaran ng isla at ng
mga naninirahan dito.

┛

Natitiyak kong iba ang nais iparating ni Dorothy sa mga katagang, 'pagpaplano ng kinabukasan'. Paano ko ito makokonekta sa kasalukuyang sitwasyon? Paano ko malalaman ang koneksyon nito sa Frontier Horizon?

"Ashanti and Dorothy sound like you and Yzra when you're scheming," kumento ni Cyllan habang binabasa niya ang pahina.

"Yzra and I, huh." Nilagpasan ko ang ibang pahina at nagpatuloy sa bandang hulihan ng libro.

┏

Dahil sa pagtatraydor ng aking
makasariling tiyuhin, nagbago
ang lahat. Nagsimulang
magkawatak-watak ang isla at
nahati sa tatlo ang mga taong
naninirahan dito.

┛

Dorothy was referring to the three races. Avaries disguised the division as a punishment to mankind, but she was stating otherwise. There is more to the betrayal. Something happened in the past that caused mutation.

"Wait. . . mutation?" I whispered to myself.

"What is it, Lora?" takang tanong ni Arima habang ang kaniyang mga mata ay puno ng pag-aalala.

"Of course! Mutation is caused by exposure and exposure means experiment," I exclaimed, but Arima and Cyllan stayed confused.

"Everything on Dijon Island was part of an experiment. The Frontier Horizon, the  avaries, the cannibals and us—the mafias."