Chapter 28

The killer stood right in front of me—bloody hair dripping over dark eyes, pale skin, red lips, and a handsome face. Beneath us was Procyon's dying body. Her yellow hair, now scattered like sa shattered haystack, lies on the ground as her blood begins flowing from her nose and mouth.

My jaw dropped suddenly in shock. My chest doesn't know which one to put first: the anger and panic over Procyon's murder or the sadness that slowly pierces my chest for what happened eventually.

Procyon was the most endearing pillar I knew. She served as my sister in the organization. Guided, protected and supported in my every attempt to be a fully crowned breed.

On the other side of the story, there stood Roan next to Procyon's body. His face splattered with liquid crimson, the tips of his hair dripping dews of sweat and guilt, and his steady murderer hand held a khanda sword—a double-edged straight Indian sword. One of the deadliest swords ever wielded. He breathed in the air as it slowly lowered his eyes at me.

The rich tears began to drip down my eyes as my shaking knees dropped. I tried to pronounce Procyon's name, nothing came out of my mouth but a hoarse and sickly sob. I held the woman's hand, it's already cold.

The saliva, sweat, and tears came out due to my intense moaning. With my chest tight, I clenched the body of one of my favorite pillars and embrace it. Like a little girl who lost his mother in the middle of a war without a promise of safety and does not know who to trust.

I knew, right at this moment, with all these tears and rumbles in my chest, Procyon really meant to me. Most people do, they realize how something means to them when it brings them to tears.

My body deflected Procyon's helpless gaze as the thoughts returned to me. I was surprised. So close. My moan of agony grew louder.

"Kiera!" I heard Roen called my name.

That voice cut my state of agony. My emotions, like rains trying to calm the waves of the ocean, suddenly turned into a strong wind that rages the ocean. My angry eyes quickly glanced at his.

I wanted to kill him.

Gradually, I again fall next to her body. My heart beats fast. I could feel every blood flow in my veins. But now I don't feel the sensation I always dreaded when the takeover occur - it would completely consume my body's strength until I lost my mind.

Hindi ko naramdaman iyon. Bagkus ay tila mas kalmado ang puso at diwa ko, pero ramdam ko ang pagpulupot ng enerhiya ng persona sa bawat hibla ng kalamnan ko. I no longer feel pain. My energy and power, doubles.

"I'm not going to fight you, Kiera. Not when you're on a takeover! Control yourself!" Roen warned that as he withdraws a few meters from me.

"I am no longer the dark demon who steals the killing moment for Kiera, Roen. I am Kiera. Bind with the demon and I am in full control of my body, my strength, and my power."

"I know. That only happens after a hybrid transformation. You've been through it. I know everything about it, Kiera. I have lived decades just to document everything about us!"

"How can you even utter the 'us' when you have killed one of my friends?"

Hindi ito sumagot. Mas humigpit ang hawak nito sa khanda sword. Napalunok ito habang nagmamatiyag saakin. Fear started to bear in his evil eyes. A flicker of confusion peered through.

"Why did you kill her? Why did you kill her?" Pag-uulit ko. Dahan-dahan, tumayo ako mula sa nakahandusay na katawan ni Proscyon habang mabilis na nahapuhap ng mga palad ko ang dalawang punyal.

Dahil sa talas ng pandinig ko, alam kong nagsimula na ring bumangon sina Kelvin at Rumina sa likuran ko. Nasapo ni Rumina ang bibig nang mapagtantong si Procyon ang nakahandusay sa lupa.

"Rumina, Kelvin, leave this place," mahina kong sambit nang hindi sila nililingon.

"No!" matigas na sagot ni Rumina.

"We can't just leave you here with this guy who killed Procyon. We are at—"

"I said leave this place!" untag ko. Wala na akong pakiaalam kung nasasaktan ko ang damdamin ng mga ito. I don't want another ally dying today. "Leave!" nadoble ang lakas ng boses ko.

Then I heard the two speeding towards the safe area. I heard the gentle swishing sound of dried leaves and twigs being stepped on. After a few moments of just staring at the dark eyes of Roen, An engine roared to its escape. Siguro'y sina Kelvin at Rumina iyon.

Good.

The wind whirled around the barren meadows. Tress dance along with the melody of agony I am feeling. Yellow and orange leaves fell from them as if someone's downfall is about to be witnessed.

I waited.

I heard his calm breathing. A killer's breathing.

He gazed at me. Watched my every move. Held the khanda sword like it's his only savior right now.

The wind kept blowing, and so as his mouth, "Kiera. One last chance to think it over. I am not the enemy here!"

Hindi ako nakinig. Not to my friend's murderer.

Then. As the meadow breeze is put into a halt, my feet leaped full force to lunge in his direction.

Lumipad sa ere ang mga tuyong dahon na nadaanan ko nang sugurin ko si Roen. Mabilis. Hindi pangkaraniwan.

Hindi ito gumalaw. Nakatayo lang ito habang ang espada niya'y nakataas na't nakahalang sa kanyang katawan. His grip was as firm as his breathing.

Sa gitna ng aking pagtakbo palapit sa kanya, gamit ang kaliwa kong paa, sumipa ako patagilid upang umikot sa anggulo ng nakatayong hybrid. Mabilis kong iwinasiwas ang isang punyal sa kaliwang binti ng lalaki bago ako muling gumalaw patungo sa likuran nito.

Roen grunted with the cut on his left leg. The pain that he deserved just landed in. Umikot ito nang mapansin niya ang pag-ikot ko sa kinatatayuan niya. He slashed his sword backhand. Sweat splattered from his red hair as he swooshed his khanda ninety degrees to stop me.

Nagpadausdos ako sa lupa nang mapansin ko ang paparating na talim ng khanda. My feet almost burried themselves in the soil as I dodged back. My weight slowly shifted from my lumbar area to my upper body so that I could lean backward smoothly and avoid the attack.

Nang tuluyan ko nang naiiwas ang espada ng lalaki ay saka ko muling ipinadyak ang dalawa kong mga paa sa lupa. I took another sudden forward rush.

Sa sobrang bilis ng paggalaw ko'y hindi iyon namalayan ni Roen. I sliced his right leg with the blazing point of my dagger. Bumulwak ang masaganang dugo mula sa binti nito kasabay ng matindi niyang pag-igit ng sakit.

I hit some major nerves.

But it did not stop him from fighting back. Muli niyang pinalipad ang espada patungo saakin. Sinagga ko iyon ng dalawa kong punyal. Sparks came randomly from the clashing metals.

The khanda sword cut through half of both my daggers. Hindi ko alam kung anong klaseng metal gawa ang mga iyon at nagawa niyang halos putulin ang aking mga patalim.

I shunned off from his blade. They're really deadly. Tumalon ako ng ilang pulgada mula sa lalaking tila nanghihina na dahil sa dami ng dugong nawala mula sa mga sugatang binti nito. Hinahabol nito ang paghinga habang tila nagmamakaawa ang mga titig na nakapukol saakin.

Walang paghingal at kalmado akong nakatayo ilang metro mula sa lalaki. Minamatyagan ang bawat kilos nito.

Hindi ko inakalang magagawa nitong makipagsabayan sa katauhang sumanib sa katawan ko. Ramdam kong kinokontrol pa nito ang buong lakas para labanan ako. There was something restraining him from using his real power.

"I have lived decades as a hybrid Kiera; and you, you are just a few weeks old from your awakening. I should have easily killed you if my intention is to hurt our kind. Easy, breezy. There are reasons why Procyon should be dead, Kiera. I can't just tell you, yet."

Nitigilan ako sa sinabi nito. Tama ang hinuha ko. Pinigil nito ang sariling lakas para hindi ako mapatay. Napatiim ang mga bagang ko, "You let me cut your veins to tell me you're an ally? Now you'd die loosing a lot of blood!"

"Pain is a beautiful thing to embrace and bear to gain trust, Kiera. If you think, that your simple flimflam terrifies me, you're wrong. What I fear is I lose control of my body and have a takeover. Like all hybrids, which you are, there is a demon living inside my body."

"Hybrids have all the demons inside them?" tila inosenteng bata kong naitanong.

"Mine has been sleeping for more than a hundred years."

"And why is that?"

"Because I cannot control it like how you do now. My birth as a hybrid was suppressed and maybe it caused the demon to gain all those power while being suppressed." Bumagsak ang tuhod nito sa lupa at kusang binitawan ang espadang pumatay kay Procyon. Patuloy ang pagdaloy ng dugo sa mga binti nito. "Hybrids are to be born on their eighteenth, a cliche part, but I was imprisoned for eight years in a chamber where there is no light. Kaya noong biente seis ako, parang sumabog ang lahat ng galit ng demon sa loob ko after the eclipse."

"How did you come back on your normal state then?"

"It took five hybrids to paralyze the demon and voluntarily go back inside me to heal. It was beastly. Uncontrollable. The most terrifying thing I have seen. There are only three things I am terrified of Kiera: the demon inside me, Phelan's and yours." Muling dumaing ito ng impit na sakit saka umupo nang nakalahad ang dalawang sugatang binti.

Mas lalong nadagdagan ang kabog saaking dibdib dahil sa sinabi nito. Phelan's demon, his demon and mine terrified this hybrid who have lived a century. Masyado ba silang malalakas? Ito rin ba ang dahilan kung bakit ako ikinulong ng mga urions sa kanilang organisasyon gaya ng pagkulong din kay Phelan sa outcross?

"Your legs..." tangi kong nasambit habang bumabalik na sa dati ang estado ng aking katawan. The demon inside me was put to rest.

Umismid ito nang mapansin ang madaling pag-urong ng persona sa katawan ko. May lungkot sa mga mata nitong sinabi, "I envy you. I wish I could tame the demon that easy. You're just weeks old hybrid." Iniangat nito ang kanang binti at halos malukot ang mukha niya sa sobrang kirot marahil, "Don't worry, I can self-heal. Mas mabagal nga lang kumpara sa ibang hybrids."

Magsasalita pa sana ako nang maramdaman ko ang presensya ng isang bulto sa kagubatan. Naramdaman din iyon ni Roen na awtomatikong napapitlag at napatingin sa gawi ko.

I can't sense who just arrive. Not an outcross. Not an urion. Not a hybrid.

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