SCIAS OF THE UNDERWORLD

SEVENTEEN

After what happened last night—their encounter with the so-called god of the underworld and his loyal servant, the guardian of the seven gates of the underworld—Ally had come to realize that she might have a pretty normal day today.

She came to work earlier than usual. Since her boss gave her an extra key, napagpasyahan niyang maglinis bago magbukas. Sabi ni Marcen ay hindi muna ito papasok ngayong araw and that leaves her to be the one who will manage the whole restaurant. She doesn't have any problem with it. In fact, gusto niya iyon. Pinagkatiwalaan siya ni Marcen and she will not break that trust.

She has handled rude customers before. And she handled them with calmness. Marcen has always praised her with that. Ngunit hindi niya alam kung mapapanatili niya ang pagiging kalmado sa araw na ito.

See, everything has been going well for her. But then an unexpected customer came. Hindi lang pala isa. Dalawa sila. And they were the ones she wished to never see again--the two men she just saw last night at the precinct. And yet here they are, standing in front of her, grinning, na para bang hindi sila nagpatayan kagabi.

"Hello, dear Ally," saad ni Scias habang nakangiti ito sa direksyon niya. The one named Azul just waved his hand in his attempt to be friendly but thing is, wala siya sa mood makipagplastikan sa mga lalakeng kaharap niya.

"Anong ginagawa niyo rito?" tanong niya. Scias placed a dramatic hand on his chest as if deeply offended by her words.

"You offend me, dear. I am here not to be of a distraction—though that would be hard on your part since I am known to be someone irresistible."

Napapikit siya nang mariin sa sinabi ng lalake. Hindi siya makapaniwalang ito ang sinasabi ng lola niya noon para gawing panakot sa kanya. She took a deep breath, calming herself not to say something that would probably end up with them killing each other. Wala siyang laban sa mga taong ito. Or if they are even human at all. Hindi na niya alam. All she care at the moment is to kick their ass out of the restaurant.

"If you're just here to flaunt your irresistible charms then I decline to be your audience. Leave while I'm still asking nicely." Akmang tatalikuran na niya ang mga ito nang marinig niya itong magsalita.

"We need your help."

Napatigil siya sa paglalakad at hinarap ang dalawang lalake. Tinaasan niya ito ng kilay. She smirked and crossed her arms. "Well, the so-called god of the underworld and his loyal guardian of the seven gates is here, asking a mere mortal for her help." She gestured her hand. "I mean, aren't you supposed to be strong? Why would you ask for my help? A mortal's help? Go and use your divine power or whatever you have, if you have any, to fulfill whatever it is you want to do. Kung mabubwesit kayo sa akin ngayon, hindi lang tayo sa presinto pupunta."

"Look, I have a huge problem—"

"That has nothing to do with me. So lumayas na kayo."

Narinig niyang napabuntong-hininga ang mga ito. "Unfortunately for you, it has something to do with you. You are a Meriden. Your clan was bound to serve me. Your necklace was bound to be my sign that whoever's wearing it is a Meriden. The clan destined to break my curse."

She tilted her head and studied him. "That was my clan who served you. Not me. You see, I am a seed from the same tree that grew in different soil. I am not like my ancestors. I don't share their beliefs. That means I don't believe in gods and whatnot." Kahit alam niyang hindi iyon totoo. She believes him. Natatakot lang siyang aminin iyon.

She saw him run his hand frustratedly through his hair. "Sa lahat ba naman ng pwedeng magtanggal ng sumpa, bakit ang babaeng ito pa? Her being an unbeliever is so strong I could almost taste it," mahinang bulong nito ngunit narinig niya pa rin.

"Look, the necklace—kung hindi lang iyon pag-aari ng lola ko, ibibigay ko iyon sa inyo so you would be on your way and do whatever the hell you want. Sa lola ko iyon. And the last thing I wanted is for her to raise from the ashes and choke me to death so she could take me with her."

Scias raised a hand. Napatingin siya rito.

"It's not the necklace that we need, Alaska," he said as he looked at her with such grieved expression on his face. "It's you."

She looked at the two men standing in front of her. They claim to be someone they aren't. Hindi niya alam kung sobrang devoted ng mga ito sa paniniwala nila o nagsasabi talaga sila ng totoo. They had a chance to prove themselves last night. They had a chance to show her na sila nga ang totoong Scias at Azul gaya ng mga kwento ng lola niya sa kanya.

Somehow, something tells her that they are the real deal. Deep inside, she believes them. It all makes sense kapag maniwala siya sa kanila. Nakita niya kung paano ito nakipagsabayan kay Juno kagabi. The Glenrils ran away when the two saved her last night from that alley. Juno told her that they are indeed the real Scias and Azul.

And the more she ponders upon it, the more she realizes that perhaps she was too keen on proving everybody wrong. She was too hell-bent on sticking to her belief na hindi totoo ang mga diyos na sinasamba ng lola niya. Perhaps she was too anchored to reach a level of understanding. Perhaps she doesn't want to let go of what she believes in because that would mean she's admitting that she's wrong.

That these gods are indeed real. And she's in front of one of them. She was just scared as sometimes, people are afraid to say it put loud—the very one thing they fear. Because once they do, it becomes more real.

Gusto niyang tumakbo sa kabilang direksyon. Gusto niyang sisihin ang ninuno niyang naging dahilan kung bakit sila nasali sa sumpa ni Scias. Gusto niyang magwala. All she ever wanted is a simple life. And being tangled with an underworld god is a far cry from simple.

And right then, after she realized it, she knew her life wouldn't be normal from now on.

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