The Orphic Secret

Chapter 22

BATTLE

The contenders move the moment the game began. All except Zero or Seiji for them.

Nanliit naman ang mata ko nang biglang may naisip. "Since when did Seiji become an Orpheus?" tanong ko.

Tiningnan naman ako ni Sirius. "Matagal na. Mas nauna pa ata siya sa'min, pero n'ong nakaraang dalawang taon lang siya maging active talaga."

Last two years? The year when twenty-five Orpheuses died in the Orphic Games. Si Zero ba talaga ang pumatay sa mga 'yon? Or is it someone else?

Wait, can he read my mind?

"No. Only if your thought reaches mine," sagot agad ni Zero sa utak ko. "Like now."

What?! Narinig niya kaya ang mga iniisip ko kanina? Huwag naman sana. I sighed and imagined closing my brain for him, though I do not know if it will work. I just hope it does.

"Bakit parang kuryos na kuryos ka kay Seiji?" tanong ni Sirius habang nakatingin sa mga screens.

I exhaled loudly. "He just looks like someone I know," sagot ko. Lumingon naman siya sa'kin, at nagtaas-kilay. I just smiled a bit and drifted my attention to the screen.

Zero didn't move a bit. Pinikit niya pa ang mata niya habang may maliit na ngiti sa labi. Blue aura radiates around him. Anong ginagawa niya?

Naalala ko naman bigla ang sinabi nila kanina sa'kin. He just sits, and still wins. Hm, maybe because he really doesn't have a physical form? Maybe he is really lurking around using shadows.

Sa ibang players naman ako tumingin. Lourd was using his power, telekinesis. He used it to detect every object, and destroy it. Sabagay ni hindi nga nila alam kung ano ang kailangan nilang sirain, so why not break everything?

Gan'on din siguro ang gagawin ko kung ako ang nand'yan.

Ruelle had less advantage than Lourd. Her power is hemokinesis, hindi naman niya magagamit 'yon sa pag-destroy ng gamit. Aish, ka-team ko pa naman 'yan.

Tumingin naman ako sa iba, at katulad sila ni Lourd, halos sinisira ang bawat gamit. Kahit anong makita nila.

"Is that the real academy?" tanong ko kay Kaiden. Umiling naman siya.

"That's a virtual space," sagot n'ya. "It's not real."

I sighed in relief. Nanghihinayang ako sa mga gamit eh. "Fascinating how virtual space looks so real," puri ko.

Ngumiti naman si Astraeus, "Peculiars made a dimension and a new world for us. Malamang ay madali nalang ang paggawa ng virtual space."

"Really? Kaya mo ba 'yon?" asar ko.

He scoffed, "Wala pa tayong lahat sa kalingkingan ng ten creators of the dimension. Well actually nobody knows who they really are. Pero ang sabi nga sampu ang gumawa ng dimension na 'to."

I nodded. Binalik ko naman ang tingin ko sa screens. Nanlaki naman bigla ang mata ko nang makita si Ruelle na may kalaban-oh, a girl from I do not know which group.

"Anong nangyari?"

"Well, Ruelle is an Assailant, so she always attacks. Clearly, she doesn't have to power to destroy items, so she'll destroy the enemies instead. In that way, mas magkakaroon siya ng tyansyang manalo," Willyn answered.

"Pero ang rule ay kung sinong makasira ng artifact 'di ba?"

She nodded. "She can win if she is left in the game. The lesser the enemies, the more chances of winning."