Under the shade of the moon, her eyes glinted frustration and distress as she peered her eyes on me. My mother squeezed her mouth shut as her lips tremble, finding the words she meant to utter. It is not the first time I felt the distance between us because we’ve been like this since the beginning.

The first time she showed her emotions, her love and care for me, was when I left home.

I knew that something was off. I knew that it was just for a show.

“Anak naman…” Nanlulumo ang mga mata n’ya nang dahan-dahan niyang buksan ito. Hindi ko alam pero una pa lamang ay alam ko ng may mali.

Hindi ko maiwasan ang hindi mapangiti habang pinapanood siya. Sa aming dalawa ni Alex, siya ang malapit sa aming ina kaya’t alam kong tama lamang ang desisyon ko na alisin silang lahat sa plano ko—alam ko rin lahat sila’y hindi maniniwala sa akin dahil sa puso’t isipan nila, si Augustus Fernandez ang kailangan naming patumbahin.

“Mommy…” The harsh, cold wind raspingly blew my hair to my face as I remain amusedly looking at her. I glanced towards the edge and grimaced. At this height, I can only predict that one of us will die, or much worse; it will be the both of us. I gave her my sweetest smile and smiled, “Mommy… Everything went according to my plan.”

“Amira, anak… I don’t get you…”

I tilted my head with a mock. As I slowly drifted my attention to the door with Alex and the others are fixed, blaming my father, I can freely face the monster in my façade. I gripped tightly at my katana and looked at her fiercely.

“You didn’t saw this coming, aren’t you?” A smile slowly crept out of my face while looking at her flustered expression. Since the beginning, I was never really fond of her; that’s why I always wait for my father even though it would take all night waiting for him. My suspicions paid off when Parker and Tyler’s identity was exposed along with the truth about Genesis, “I am not naïve. I knew that you are our enemy from the start.”

She tried walking her way in front but immediately halted when I pointed the katana to stop her.

“Anak naman… You are just by your love to your father…” Akala ko rin. Akala ko rin na nabubulag ako kasi mas mahalaga siya kumpara sa kanya.

“Am I?”

“Please… Listen…”

Dahan-dahan kong pinagkrus ang aking mga braso saka sumandal sa may pinto. At sa pagpikit ng mga mata ko’y kinukumbinsi ko ang aking sarili na kumalma, ayusin at gawing klaro ang aking isipan lalo na’t ngayon ay sinusugal ko ang buhay ko para sa kanila.

Handa akong harapin mag-isa ang nag-iisang dahilan kung bakit kami naging dayuhan sa sarili naming mundo.

At sa saglit na katahimikan, ang huling pag-uusap namin ni Mr. Revileza ang munting kumislap sa malikot kong isipan. Isang mapait na katotohanan na siyang nagbigay ng kasugatan sa lahat.


“Nakikiusap ako tulungan n’yo kami…”

“Tita Alleona, hindi ko gusto ‘yang mga tingin mo na ‘yan. I will not freaking cut his head off—”

“Hi—hindi na dapat n’ya kami tinulungan pa. Dapat… Dapat namatay na lang kami nang matiwasay dahil nahihirapan na ako. Marami akong kasalanan no’n ngunit hindi ko alam na ganitong hirap kailangan kong maranasan…”

“What do you mean? Who helped you?”

“It was the god… Nakikiusap ako, patayin niyo na lang ako.”

Tita Alleona never trusted his words, but I do. It was my last string of hope in order to keep trusting my father. She never told anyone about Mr. Revileza’s words before she killed him, which made everything much easier for me. Without them at the picture, I can freely formulate a plan wherein my life will be the only thing that I’ll be risking.

The Apostles worship my father as their god, but it is all wrong.

Especially that Augustus Fernandez has never been the god.

Nang imulat ko ang mga mata ko, isang mapait na ngiti ang nilahad ko sa kanya, “Paano ko magagawang makinig sa’yo, kung mismong katawan mo na ang nagsasabi ng katotohanan?”

Kabado niyang pinagmasdan ang mga braso n’ya maging ang mukha niya ay marahas niyang pinakiramdaman. At ang mga pasa at sugat na nakabalot sa kanyang katawan kanina ay unti-unting naglalaho sa napakabagal na paraan, ngunit ang buong katawan niya ay nababalot pa rin ng sariwang dugo.

At sa pagkislap ng buwan sa kaniyang mala-tsokolate na mga mata, ang mga dugong nakabalot sa kanya ay sinipsip ng kanyang balat hanggang sa rumehistro ang kulay nito sa kanyang mga mata. Ang malungkot n’yang mga mata ay nawalan ng emosyon hanggang sa kumubra ang isang nakatatakot na ngisi sa kanyang labi.

“Your father made me like this. It is his fault…”

Her eyes shimmered bloody tears as I eyed her with disbelief, “No. You made yourself a monster.”

“It was Alleona’s fault! It was August’s fault—”

I heaved a sigh and silently walk towards her, “You know whose fault it was,” I mumbled and glance at the horizon before shifting back to her, “He… He took all the blame just to save you. He vanished your friends to keep them away from you, to keep them alive before the monster within devours them. He injected the people of Besodiah City with capsules in order for them to avoid being a monster like you. You are only blaming him because he didn’t fall to the deception as you wanted.”

She remained her dull looking eyes at me.

“You’re only harmed because was trying to cure you—those capsules are not just for the Apostles. It is also for you, but your body is rejecting it. You were intoxicated by it.” The capsules that Tito Tristan and the others as threats to the lives of the Apostles are medicine. Isa iyon sa dahilan kung bakit hindi naging bozo sina Mr. Revileza at ang asawa nito, mayroon silang capsule sa kanilang katawan na kusang hahalo sa kanilang dugo oras na makagat sila ng bozo. Pinipigilan nito ang mga tao sa pagbabagong anyo lalo na’t ang pamilyar na amoy nito ay ang Lycoris Albiflora.

Humalakhak s’ya at marahas niyang kinamot ang buong katawan dahilan upang mapaatras ako. Ang nakakikilabot niyang malamig na halakhak ay mas lalong umaalingawngaw kasabay nito ang pagbabago ng kanyang buong katawan.

At mula sa kanyang likuran, ang madudugo at nakakikilabot na mga galamay ay sumibol. Samantalang ang kanyang buong katawan ay numinipis, na tila ba’y ang dugo n’ya sa katawan ay nauubos dahilan upang matuyot ang kanyang balat at kumapit ito sa kanyang mga buto. Mas lalo akong napakapit nang mahigpit sa ‘king hawak dahil sa kakaiba at gumagalaw na insekto sa kanyang loob, nang makalabas ito sa dumurugo niyang mga mata at muling pumasok sa kanyang bibig ay halos masuka ako.

Ang limang galamay niya ay tila may kanya-kanyang mga buhay, pareparehas din silang may matatalas na ngipin at ang mga laway nila ay kasing pula ng dugo. Umaakto na tila mga ugat ang mga centipede na naglalabas-pasok sa kanyang katawan. At habang pinapanood siya, isa lamang ang napagtanto ko—hindi ito imortalidad. Ito ang hindi magandang imahe nang pag-aasam na makamit ang bagay na sobrang imposible.

“Offer your blood, my dear child.”

Blood drained out of my face as I pressed my lips together. Talk about mocking your mother, Amira. As her grossly tentacles dances in the air, centipedes began to pour down from above. And with all my might, I tried to evade the venomous insects by dodging and cutting them in half.

“Don’t you want to be like me? An immortal being like me, Amira?” She smiled.

I darted and clenched my jaw, “Immortal? Looking like that? I know that you just wanted me because I almost look like her. You thought that I could achieve what you didn’t!”


I gasped for air when the sight started to get more unsightly. The centipedes began to gather on her face, and with every squirm of the insects, her face was moving. She slowly opened her mouth, making the centipedes that were much more enormous exited her mouth.

“Now, Amira…”

I shook my fear off and tightly held the katana. As I charged towards her, a silhouette standing in the door stops me from slashing one of her tentacles. I slowly looked at my mother, and a creeping smile was plastered on her face while gazing at me.

And while I was stunned for a moment, I heard a gunshot. Before I could actually comprehend everything within my mind, I found myself kneeling to the ground with my legs bleeding. Nang dahan-dahan kong nilingon ang aking likuran, ngumiti ang taong iyon sa akin habang bakas sa aking mga mata ang pagkalito at pagkagimbal.

“She told you to offer your blood, didn’t she?”

In just a blink of an eye, one of the craziest plot twists in my life happened.

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