The Cursed One

6 | The Reaper's Fortress

Emil. That was his name. No matter how much she tries to rack her brain on any information about the man, wala siyang maalala. He did say he sealed his power a long time ago so it wouldn't make her kill all the people in the orphanage. And that she was someone who wasn't supposed to be alive. Ngunit dahil nakiusap ang ama niya kay Emil na huwag siyang patayin, narito siya ngayon. Nakaupo sa harapan ng lalaking naatasang patayin siya noon.

"What exactly do you do?" tanong niya sa lalaki. Nasa itaas pa rin sila ng rooftop. The shadows are gone and they have decided to stay on the rooftop. "You know, aside from killing newborns, what exactly do you do?"

Tiningnan naman siya ng lalaki at napabuntong-hininga. Then he said, "I am a Reaper. "

"You reap newborns...?"

"There's good magic and then there's bad magic. The reapers destroy bad magic."

"You mean to tell me," she breathed, "I was bad magic?"

Silence covered the two of them before the man nodded. "Having a magic that takes the life out of people isn't exactly good."

Napalunok naman siya ng laway. "But...But I haven't..."

"You haven't noticed the appearance of your magic?"

Tumango siya.

Then the man leaned in her direction. "You have killed a man last night, girl."

Tila nabuhusan siya ng tubig sa sinabi ng lalaki. Maya-maya pa ay nagpakawala siya ng mahinang tawa.

"You have unleashed your power unwittingly last night that's why the shadows are looking for you. Iyon din ang dahilan kung bakit nahanap kita."

"A-Anong sinasabi mo? I did not kill anyone last night--"

Napahinto naman siya sa nais niyang sabihin. She tried racking her brain with memories of last night ngunit wala siyang maalala. Nagising nalang siya na nakahiga sa basurahan. Kung anong ginawa niya kagabi bago siya nakatulog, hindi niya alam. It was as if all her memories of last night had been wiped out. Her heartbeat ratcheted into a thunderous beat.

"I can't--I can't remember a thing," she said. Panic laced her voice as she looked at the man. She's frightened. Hindi niya alam kung anong nangyayari. Then she remembered what she heard from the streets. About a dead body.

"The body," she said, "was it found in the sewage?"

Tumango si Emil. She sagged on her seat. With the things she heard from Emil and with the blank memory she had last night, hindi niya maiwasang isipin na baka siya nga ang may gawa ng bagay na iyon.

Then Emil took a piece of flower. Hindi niya alam kung saan galing iyon pero lumapit ito sa kanya. He placed the flower near his lips before he handed it to her. She stared at the flower for a while before it withered. Right on her palms."

She gasped in horror as she beheld the flower. Nanlalaki ang mga matang nakatingin siya sa lalaki.

"I placed a spell on that flower to determine what kind of power you have. It blooms when you have water or earth magic. Nasusunog naman kung apoy. If your power is wind, then the petals and the leaves would just blow away. If you can make things float, the flower will float."

"The flower withered on my hands." She still couldn't believe it as she looked at it.

"That means your power seeps out life out of every living being."

She tried recalling what happened last night again but the only thing she can remember was her waking up in the dumpster this morning.

"Bakit wala akong maalala? How--if I killed that man, why did I do it?"

Emil shook his head as though he couldn't answer her question anymore. She bit her lip. Bile rose up to her throat.

"I only have one theory as to why you couldn't remember what happened," Emil started. She listened to him. "It's because you can't fully control your power. It's still greater than you. It completely took over you last night kaya wala kang maalala tungkol sa nangyari."

She shiveres at the thought of killing the man. At kahit anong gawin niya para alalahanin ang nangyari ay wala talaga siyang maalala.

"Kapag pinasok mo ulit ang isip ko, hindi mo ba makikita ang nangyari kagabi?"

"Iyan nga ang dahilan kung bakit ko pinasok ang isip mo. Ngunit wala akong makita. It's as if your magic blocked me from prying too much. But I did see how your seal was broken," saad ng lalaki at malungkot itong tumingin sa kanya. "You were burned alive."

Nanindig lahat ng balahibo niya sa memorya. Hindi niya pa rin makalimutan ang nangyaring iyon. Then she remembered something.

"The nuns—they were dead. Right after I rose from the ashes, I...hindi ko na maalala ang nangyari matapos iyon." Tiningnan niya si Emil.

"Did I...Did I..." Hindi niya matapos ang nais sabihin dahil kahit hindi na niya itanong, alam na niya ang magigung sagot ng lalaki sa kanya.

"The Keepers were indeed found dead right after the incident."

"So I was the one who killed them?"

Emil was silent for a moment, looking at her as if he doesn't want to break the news to her. Ngunit apat na taon na ang nakalipas simula nang mamatay ang mga madre sa bahay-ampunan. She has always thought it served them right. She has always thought that justice was going her way. Hindi niya alam na siya pala ang may gawa. Nagpasalamat naman siya dahil hindi nadamay ang mga batang naroon. Dahil kung sakaling nadamay ang mga bata, hindi niya mapapatawad ang sarili niya.

"The point is," Emil started, "you are too powerful. Hindi natin alam kung kailan lumalabas ang kapangyarihan mo. At kung lalabas ito, hindi mo ito nakokontrol at wala kang naalala sa nangyari."

She was already fidgetting. Buong buhay niya ay naniniwala siyang wala siyang kapangyarihan. And then this man tells her that she has magic. The worst magic to have.

"Kaya ako narito para tulungan ka."

Napatingin naman siya sa lalaki. "What can you do? Hindi ko alam kung ano ang kaya kong gawin."

"I am going to seal your power again," the man said. "And I also want you to train to be a Reaper."

Napakunot ang noo niya habang nakatingin sa lalaki. "Train to be a Reaper?"

"You need to be strong enough to control your power. And when you are strong enough, then I will remove the seal."

Napalunok naman siya ng laway. Sealing her power and then training her to be strong enough. She racked her brain one last time, looking for her memory about last night ngunit wala talaga siyang maalala. Just like Emil said, hindi niya ito nakokontrol. Kaya naman tiningnan niya si Emil.

"Ano ang dapat kong gawin?"

***

Emil did it again. She felt like she was hurled to another dimension. Darkness covered her whole body for a while until she saw light again. When she got her focus back, she roamed her eyes around the area.

It was a someone's house's foyer. It looked grand enough to be called luxuriousm ngunit walang kahit sino doon maliban sa nakangiting babae sa ibaba ng mataas na hagdan.

"Welcome back, Emil." Ngumiti ang babae sa direksyon niya at bahagyang tumango.

"Where's the Mistress?" tanong ni Emil sa babae. The woman's face turned stone-cold.

"I'm afraid the Mistress doesn't accept visitors as of this moment," she said coldly.

Emil took a step forward and the woman stared at him. As though giving a silent warning, daring Emil to take another step closer. Emil was wise enough not to push through.

Then he said, "If she's not interested with the Shadowburn then I'll take my leave." Tumalikod si Emil at hinawakan ang braso niya at naglakad sila papunta sa pinto. Akmang hahawakan na ng lalaki ang seradura nang tawagin sila ng babae. She peered at the man and she could have sworn she saw him smirk a little before turning back to the woman.

Nakita niyang nakatingin na ang babae sa kanya. Na para bang isa siyang napakainteresadong nilalang. She could have sworn the surroundings got colder. She could feel the hairs in her body standing up and had she spent another second staring at the woman, she might have staggered back.

"The Mistress is in her room," saad ng babae sa kanila. Emil merely dipped his head in gratitude and guided her to walk to the stairs. Ramdam niya pa rin ang titig ng babae sa kanya at nang lumingon siya sa gawi nito, nakatingin nga ito sa kanya. She swallowed hard.

"Look straight ahead," warned Emil. His voice contained enough bite that she knew she has to follow his instructions. Kaya naman ibinaling niya ang tingin sa harapan at sinundan si Emil. Wala siyang ideya kung nasaan siya ngunit alam niyang malaki ang bahay na iyon. She has wandered the streets of Finnore and she has never seen a house this big, save for the castle.

"Where are we?" tanong niya kay Emil. They reached the central landing and Emil turned right at nagsimula na namang umakyat.

"We're still in Finnore, don't worry."

"Wala akong nakikitang bahay sa Finoore na kasing-laki ng bahay na ito."

Emil let out a low chuckle before he said, "Only that this isn't a house."

"So where are we?"

Emil didn't answer for a moment as they reached the second floor. Naglakad ito patungo sa malaking pinto. Nang makalapit na sila ay kusa itong bumukas.

At first, she could only see blinding light pouring from behind the door. When her eyes adjusted, her jaw dropped at what she was seeing. Napakurap siya, na para bang sinisigurado niyang tama nga ang nakikita niya. She hasn't seen a lot of magic kaya naman labis nalang ang pagkamangha niya nang makita ang tanawin sa likuran ng pinto. It was a vast land, with trees and flowers and a fountain in the middle. May nakikita din siyang mga mesa at mga upuan na nakapalibot sa lugar and atop those chairs sat people--both men and women--chattering to each other. May nakikita rin siyang ibang tao doon na nagsasanay. The ones who were holding weapons are wearing fighting leathers of the finest quality. Alam niya iyon dahil isa siyang magnanakaw. She could spot if something is worth stealing or not.

"Don't even think about it," said Emil. Tiningnan naman niya ito nang masama.

"Don't just barge into my mind," she snapped.

Emil shrugged. "The first thing you should learn is how to guard your mind."

Sinubukan niyang isarado ang kanyang utak kahit na hindi niya alam kung paano gawin iyon ngunit alam niyang hindi iyon epektibo dahil tumawa lang nang mahina si Emil.

Bumalik naman ang pansin niya sa tanawin sa harapan niya. The people didn't seem to notice that they're standing there.

"This is our Fortress," said Emil. "They are Reapers--well, some of them are still in training."

Emil stepped inside and she followed. The moment she was inside, the door behind them magically closed. Saka naman tumingin sa gawi nila ang mga taong naroon.

Some gave her curious stares and some gave her an assessing one. Some stopped talking to look at her and she isn't sure if she should be there in the first place.

Naglakad si Emil sa daan na naroon. Some of the people continued what they were doing but some still looked at her. She masked her face into disinterest at sinundan lang si Emil.

The moment they reach another door, she let out a deep breath. Emil opened the door at sinundan niya ito papasok. They were in another room.

"Who is the Mistress?" tanong niya sa lalaki habang naglalakad sila sa kahabaan ng pasilyo. The wooden floor was so shiny as it reflected the warm light cast by the chandelier above. The walls of the hallway were draped with fleur de lis wallpaper and on top of them hung various landscape paintings. Wala pa rin siyang ideya kung saan matatagpuan sa Finnore ang bahay na ito ngunit base sa nakita niya kanina, this Fortess could be just a small tavern from the outside. She oculdn't helo but marvel at the amount of magic this place holds.

"She's the one who manages this Fortress. She founded this place for the Reapers."

"How do you know when there is bad magic?"

Huminto sa paglalakad si Emil at doon niya namalayan na nasa harap na pala sila ng isang pinto.

He looked at her over her shoulders before he said, "You will know about it once you get accepted as a Reaper."

Binuksan ng lalaki ang pinto at pumasok sa loob. She followed inside.

At first, all she could see was the four-poster bed in the middle of the room and the thick drape of curtains covering the floor-to-ceiling window. The place was dim and somehow, she felt a heavy feeling. As though some invisible, unknown power is trying to make her kneel. She shivered at the cold bite of the air inside the chamber.

Napatingin siya sa kama at nakita si Emil na naglalakad papalapit doon. He removed his hat and placed if on his chest before he dipped his chin lower.

"Greetings, Mistress," he said.

At first, there was silence. Then she heard the sound of the bedsheets rumpling as someone on the bed shifted.

"Emil," said a woman's voice. Napalunok naman siya ng laway nang maramdaman ang lamig sa paligid. Hindi niya alam kung anong klaseng kapangyarihan iyon ngunit alam niyang hindi iyon maganda.

"Sa tingin ko ay hindi kakayanin ng kasama mo ang presensiya ko," saad ng babae. Napatingin naman siya sa kama. The blankets fell to the floor. And then she saw bare feet stepping onto the lush carpet. Her white nightgown covered her ankles as she stood next to the bed.

Hindi niya alam kung anong magiging reaksyon niya sa nakita. The person on the bed had the voice of a woman. Ngunit hindi niya inaasahan ang taong nakikita niyang nakatayo sa gilid ng kama.

Because it wasn't a woman at all.

It was a kid.

* * *