Bayani Unmasked: A HENERAL LUNA & GOYO: Ang Batang Heneral One-shot collection

29. Repent || #GoyoAngstStories

Goyo, at his death, knew that he was a monster for all the wrong things he had done. If he could do something against it, surely he already done so... and he was given the chance to make peace of it. Finally accepting the truth that he was much less than a human to be heralded as a hero.

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They said that the life of a person flashes before ones' eyes just before death. But there were others whose life was so short to even give too much of something to be guilty of. The longer ones' life was, the more memories to be seen.

It was different for Goyo. Despite his young age, he had seen too much. Enough to be guilty about. Enough to know that he was to expect the ground opening up beneath him and to swallow him whole.

However, what he had seen was so different compared to what he expected after that bullet killed his physical body, forcing his soul to leave that empty and broken shell, seeing for himself how ugly and gore he appeared back then, and be brought to a world too different from what was known of by the living.

As a child, he believed that the deceased souls went there to the Heavens. When he grew up, he had that theory that the dead were those birds who evaded gravity for the magic of flight. But when he joined the revolution, he understood that he could've been otherwise dragged to hell.

The whiteness and the vast plain of where he was right now surprised him. He knew his sins and recounted that it would warrant him to suffer for all eternity on hell. But this brightness and warm light appeared like heaven, and it was ironic for him to be here after all he had done. And yet, if this was to be Heaven... where were the angels? The beautiful music of their voices and harps? The glory of them gathered together?

Perhaps, this wasn't heaven. Goyo knew that he would never be there, so... was this hell? Or was this the boundary line before judgment?

Either way, he was lost.

Goyo dropped to the floor. He sat there, drawing his legs close to his chest like a little child. He rocked on his heels, trying to occupy his thoughts with something else. But the memories of everything he had done, especially the bad ones, remained, drawing tears out of his eyes. After all, he regretted everything.

But it was all too late. There was no other way for him to be sorry for all of it.

"Goyo."

He immediately snapped his head up upon hearing the voice that called his name. After all, he didn't expect it to be spoken by that very person standing right in front of him right now. Like him being dressed on just plain and white clothes, the man who appeared right there also does. His tears immediately fell in succession as he knelt on the spot with shaking hands so afraid to touch the man. He mumbled, "Patawad, Manuel. Patawad." He gulped in hard before continuing, "Tama kang tawagin akong isang aso. Totoo. Isa akong aso. Kasalanan ko ang aming pagkatalo."

Manuel Bernal crouched right in front of him with a heavy sighed. Goyo didn't expect him to be here; and he was expectant of an unjustful verdict. But Manuel only told him, "Tumayo ka, Goyo. Hindi ka aso. Isa kang heneral."

Goyo's tears came much more in a rush. He shook his head, trying to evade from looking straight into the other's eyes. "Isa akong asong ulol. Kasalanan ko ito. Hindi ako sundalo."

Manuel immediately closed his hands around Goyo's wrist, pulling his hands away from his face and urging him to look straight at the man whom he was greatly sorry to. Goyo was so ashamed of how he looked with those tears but the guilt that swelled in his chest was greater than everything else. Manuel called for him with such urgency on his voice, "Goyong. Makinig ka."

He bit his lower lip as if that will stop him from crying more and more.

"Binuwis mo ang buhay mo para sa Pilipinas," Manuel continued with a small smile, placing then a hand onto his shoulder. Clapping him there once, he continued, "Isa kang bayani, Goyo."

The tears came in a much greater rush this time. Goyo closed his eyes as if that would stop him from crying like a child. He immediately threw his arms around Manuel, hiccuping as he said, "Manuel, patawad! Patawad sa lahat-lahat. Sa lahat-lahat ng aking pagkakamali."

"Ayos lang iyon, Goyo. Ang mahalaga'y natupad mo ang tungkulin mo bilang isang Pilipino." Manuel assured him, whispering by his ear. "Isa ka talagang aguila, Goyong."

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A/N: Follow me on twitter @23meraki for more updates. ;)

A/N: See "DEAD RECKONING", a Goyo x Reader story.

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