The Cursed One

7 | The Mistress

The Mistress was a kid. And her very being seems to coil at her very presence. Humakbang ito papalapit sa kanya and she staggered back. Hairs on her skin rose at the sudden coldness of the room. Napatingin siya kay Emil na nakatingin lang sa babae sa harapan niya. 

When she dared to look at the Mistress' eyes she swallowed hard. She has probably the most delicate she's ever seen. And her face--her face was ethereally beautiful that she wondered if she was a real person. It was as if the gods took their time in making her. Ngunit ang mas kumuha sa atensyon niya ay ang puting mga mata nito. Her eyes seem to be staring right into her very soul where she could feel something in her recoiled. Even her lashes were white. 

"Nameless, I see," the Mistress said she swallowed hard as her gaze got even more intense. Kung kanina ay pinasok ni Emil ang isipan niya gamit ang kapangyariha nito, ngayon naman ay ramdam niya na parng sinusuri siya ng babae gamit lang ang mga mga nito. She has no idea what the woman was doing to her ngunit naramdaman nalang niyang nanginginig siya. 

"Siya ang sinasabi ko sa iyo noon," sabi ni Emil at tumabi sa kanya. When the Mistress' attention was not on her anymore, saka naman siya nakahinga nang maluwag.

"The one who you allowed to live," said the Mistress. Napayuko nalang siya nang tingnan siya ulit ng babae. 

"Why did you bring her here? Alam kong hindi mo siya dinala rito para ipahamak. You have plans, Emil. What is it?" 

Emil was silent for a moment before he said, "I wish her to remain in this fortress, Mistress." 

She could feel the heavy gaze of the mistress on her but she remained her head down. 

"Ano pang iba mong pinaplano?" 

"I plan to seal her power away and she can train to be a Reaper. She will train just like anybody else and once she is strong enough, I will take the seal away." 

"Naniniwala kang magagawa niyang kontroling ang kapangyarihan na iyan kapag natapos siya sa kanyang pagsasanay?" 

Tumango lang si Emil. Ramdam niya pa rin ang titig ng babae sa kanya ngunit hindi niya inangat ang kanyang paningin para tingnan ang mga puting mata nito. 

"Then she will train as a normal person. Without any powers. Makakapasa ba siya sa mga pagsubok?" 

Silence filled the whole room. Hindi niya alam kung anong klaseng pagsasanay ang gagawin niya ngunit base sa sinabi ng babae, may ideya na siya na hindi magiging madali ang sinasabi nitong pagsasanay. 

"She will," Emil said. Napalingon naman siya sa lalaki. Hindi siya sigurado kung saan nakuha ni Emil ang kumpyansa na makakaya niya ang pagsasanay na gagawin niya. If the others train with their powers with them, what could she do against it? 

"Sumasang-ayon ka ba?" 

She looked up and instantly regretted it and looked down again. At first, she isn't entirely sure if this is what she's going to do. Emil just showed up out of nowhere telling her that she has the power of the Shadowburn and that it's a power that takes people's lives and worse, she couldn't control it. Hindi niya rin alam kung kailan ito lumalabas. If she indeed took that man's life last night, then she can' be roaming around bringing that kind of power. 

Kaya naman pinilit niya ang sarili na tumingin sa babae. Even as her blood and her whole being seem to recoil as she stare into here white eyes. 

"I want this power sealed, Mistress," she said, surprised that her voice didn't come out shaky. 

"Very well." Tumingin ang babae kay Emil. "Then I shall be the one to seal it." 

The way Emil's head whip in her direction tells her enough that whatever it is, it is not a good idea. 

"Mistress--" 

"I'm sorry, Emil. But with the kind of power she possesses, only my seal could work to fully conceal it." 

True. Dahil ramdam niya ang takot na namumuo sa loob niya habang nakatayo lang sa harapan ng babae. It was as if the power inside her wanted to get away from the woman as far as possible. As if it knows that the woman is the head of the Reapers.

Tumingin ang babae sa akin at ngumiti. It was the kind of smile that reassures but scares at the same time. Hindi niya alam kung anong mararamdaman. 

"Be prepared, girl," she said. Akmang magsasalita na siya nang makaramdam siya ng sakit sa kanyang katawan. 

The blinding pain shot from her chest first, and then to her shoulders, then to her stomach, legs, her mouth--the pain scattered all inside her body. She could feel her power--dark and dangerous--thrashing inside her. Hindi niya maipaliwanag ngunit parang nasa loob siya ng kanyang katawan. She could feel how her powers want to get out, to be unleashed, but something stronger was stopping it. A blinding light wrapped her whole being as the dark power inside her screeched and thrashed and that made her buckle her knees. 

She could hear her own voice. Hindi lang siya sigurado kung sumisigaw ba siya o hindi ngunit naririnig niya ang boses niya. It was muffled. All she could see was the blinding light, slowly wrapping itself around her and the darkness slowly fading away. Perhaps that was her power. And for a moment, she wanted to free it. She wanted to unleash it. She doesn't want it sealed. 

Buong buhay niya, akala niya ay wala siyang kakayahan. Ngayon nalaman na may kapangyarihan siya. Kaya niyang kumitil ng buhay na walang kahirap-hirap. Four years since the seal was broken and she had only killed a few people. For a moment, she considered about keeping her power, of not having the Mistress seal it away. And she saw how her power thrashed against the light. How it fought to not be sealed. She saw how the blinding white light staggered back as darkness pushed back. 

She could hear a man's voice somewhere but it was muted out by her voice. She realized she wasn't screaming. Narinig niya ang boses niya na nakikipag-usap sa kanya. 

"Hahayaan mo lang ba ako na makulong sa kapangyarihan ng babaeng iyan? Hahayaan mo lang ba akong mawala?" 

And then she heard another voice. It was a man's. 

"Don't fight it!" sigaw ng lalaki sa kanya. 

And then she remembered why she was there in the first place. She remembered why she felt that extreme pain in her body. She remembered why her power was talking to her. She remembered why there was a blinding light in the first place. She remembered it all. 

So she looked straight at her power before she said, "I will wield you when I am strong enough." Then the blinding light wrapped its warmth around her. Her powers shrieked and coiled until all she could feel was the warmth of that light enveloping her, sealing what needed to be sealed.

And then she passed out. 

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