Drago's POV
Bumaba na si Virdjana mula sa kinatatayuan niyang sanga at lumanding nang mga dalawang metro mula sa harapan ko. Hindi pa rin nawawala ang tensyon sa hangin, mataas pa rin ang possibilidad na muli niya akong atakihin.
"My mind reading is limited within three meters." Virdjana stated, showing that she had no plans of hiding that ability in the very first place.
'Tch, considering na halos dalawang metro lang ang distansiya niya mula sa akin. Naririnig niya pa rin ang iniisip ko.'
"Tama ka. I can also answer your connect with your mind through telepathy. Nonetheless, I hope I made my point clear to you." Virdjana remarks.
Surprisingly, her inner voice is less hostile compared to when she is speaking.
"Ginawa mo lahat ng iyon para lang iparating sa akin na ayaw mong makipag-kaibigan? Fine, I get your message. But don't you think this situation is unfair to me? Imagine wanting to spend time with your bestfriend only to be abducted by a nymph - I mean, if you're a real nymph I wouldn't mind. A-Anyway, that's not the point." I rambled.
Hinalukipkip ko ang mga braso ko sa harap ng dibdib ko sa paghihintay nang sunod niyang sasabihin. Direkta ko siyang tiningnan sa mga mata niya na walang-dudang ibinalik niya naman kasama ang trademark na malamig na titig.
I noticed her look down at the ground, before turning her back on me. Talk about rude. She better bring me back with her in the academy since she basically kidnapped me.
Kadaski's POV
Anong klaseng kalokohan ba ito?! Nakidnap si Drago sa mismong harapan ko at wala man lang akong nagawa para iligtas siya mula sa pekeng diwatang iyon. Napaluhod ako sa harap ng fountain at ilang beses na pinaghahampas ang damuhan. Bakit ba lapitin si Drago ng panganib?
"Tch, kailangan kong humingi ng tulong sa mga teachers." bulong ko sa sarili saka tumayo.
Kakaripas sana ako ng takbo patungo sa Security Staff para i-ulat ang pangyayari nang maalala kong curfew na sa loob ng paaralan at siguradong naglalakad-lakad na sa paligid ang Arcamy Guards.
Hindi mabuti na mahuli nila ako dahil it's either ma-detention ako ng buong araw o matanggal sa Enchanted Elites for breaking the rules itself Kakukuha ko lamang ng pardon mula sa opisina nang gabing makita ako ni Master Shin na nasa labas ng aking kuwarto sa kalagitnaan ng gabi.
"Nakasalalay sa mga kamay ko ang kaligtasan ni Drago, dapat huwag ko munang isipin ang sarili ko."
Nagtago muna ako sa likod ng isang punongkahoy at nang makalampas na ang isa sa mga guwardiya ay mabilis akong lumipat sa likod ng isang gusali.
"Sinong andiyan?" tanong ng Arcamy Guard na biglang lumingon sa direksiyon ko.
Muntik pa akong madapa dahil sa kaunting gulat na aking naramdaman. Tinakpan ko ang bibig ko at pinabagal ang paghinga. Lalo pang lumakas ang mga yabag patungo sa kinatatayuan ko, puwede sana akong lumipat sa kabilang gusali kaso mayroon din roong nagbabantay na Arcamy.
"Hoy, saan ka pupunta? Doon tayo naka-istasyon sa Cafeteria. Malamang may mga estudyante na namang magmimidnight snack." pagtawag ng isa pang Arcamy sa kaniyang katrabaho.
"Oo na, oo na. Ito naman oh. May nakita kasi akong anino doon." paliwanag ng unang Arcamy.
Napabuntong-hininga ako at nang maibalik ko na ang composure ko ay ipinagpatuloy ko na ang pagtahak sa daan patungong Faculty ng mga Masters.
"Anong oras na kaya? Puwede ko namang tingnan gamit ang Elemental Headphones ko kaso siguradong maliwanag iyon at baka mabuko pa ako nang wala sa oras." pabulong kong reklamo habang hinahabol ang hininga ko.
"Tch,diwata, diwata, kapag nakita ko ulit ang pagmumukha ni Drago ay isasapak ko sa kaniya ang libro ng mga diwata." nainis kong sabi.
Sa wakas ay narating ko na ang Master's Faculty, bagaman dis-oras na nang gabi ay bente-kuwatro oras naman na bukas ang pasilidad na ito. Alam ng lahat ng mga estudyante, guro at empleyado sa eskuwelahang ito na tuwing may emergency ay maaaring direktang tunguhin ang opisina ng mga Masters.
"Huwag kang mag-aalala Drago, ako naman ang magliligtas sa iyo."
Virdjana's POV
I can't be feeling guilty now. I brought him with me, because I agreed with Reggie's suggestion of bringing him here as some sort of helper. It was neither my intention to use this opportunity to befriend him nor hurt him.
"You're going to walk away just like that? No apologies Assassin?" saad ni Drago na naririnig kong nakasunod lamang sa akin.
I continued walking aimlessly, my first goal is to find my old house. I believe it was located in the middle of the village, or at least that's what Reggie told me.
My mind continued to wander as I went deeper into the fog.
The magic I used against Drago, the Air Revolution, its a High-Tier Spell that was supposed to work like gentle air waves that would help us see clearly in the fog. I forgot that it strictly requires Eumythymns of the opposite sex in order to work properly perhaps I should not try that spell again.
"Saan ka ba kasi pupunta?" napapikit ako sa gulat ng marinig ko ang boses ni Drago.
I regained my composure then I answered, "my house, or at least what was left of it."
"Hey, I don't know if you needed to hear this, but I am sorry for being insensitive earlier for calling your home village a ghost town." Drago spoke vigilantly.
I turned my head to face him, and noticed that he was maintaining a respectable distance between us. I furrowed my eyebrows and wondered how he could talk to me in this manner after all those things back there.
"It's not your fault." I uttered, scarcely above my breath.
"What?" he asked with a confused expression.
"I said. It's not your fault. I am an irritable person." I clarified as I start speed-walking.
Natanaw ko ang balkonahe ng aming bahay. Wala itong pinagbago at kagaya pa rin ito ng huli kong naaalala. Pinagmasdan ko ang labas ng aming bahay ng may hindi maipaliwanag na bigat sa aking dibdib.
"Bakit bahay lang ang tawag mo sa bahay ninyo na limang beses pa nga ang laki niyan sa classroom natin? At four storeys?!" hindi makapaniwalang komento ni Drago nang makahabol na ito sa akin.
Pinakinggan kong mabuti ang tunog na nanggagaling sa floorboard ng balkonahe, may tunog nang mahina ngunit matinis na metal, maging ang daloy ng hangin sa pagitan ng mga ito ay mukhang nahihirapang makadaan.
Humakbang ako ng tatlong beses paatras mula sa hagdan ng aming balkonahe. I'm not sure if those things are still working, but it's better to be sure than to die.
"I brought you with me, so it's only fair that I take responsibility of your safety. Stay here." I told Drago.
Bending my knees, I took one huge leap, then summersaults forward three times. I landed inside the living room of the house, given that the door was left open from the start. I used one foot to check the floorboards, and the quietness means that I landed on a safe area.
"Para saan ba iyong special moves mo?" pag-usisa ni Drago mula sa kinatatayuan nito.
I massaged my forehead before shifting my body to face the Fire Enchant. I don't have the energy to explain the mechanics of the house. I took my knife and threw it on a specific wooden board at the balcony, after a soft thud, the balcony creaked followed by the cranking of metal. Within two seconds, all floorboards flipped showing poisoned arrows attached to it.
"What the-"
"It's not the end." I interrupted his pending reaction.
The arrows, instead of shooting upwards began spinning like drills, then the boards shifted like jigsaw pieces perfectly moving in sync and closing all possible routes in front of the house.
"Just why?!" panicked Drago, "and when does this end?"
"Pfft." I know I'm not supposed to laugh, or rather I know that this was not the situation where I should feel amusement, but this was totally unexpected.
"It's for intruders at night. It could be mini bombs, poisonous arrows, acid, blades, or trapdoors that would automatically placed people into guillotine apparatuses." I told him wearing an indifferent facial expression.
"Okay, I get it, I get it." pagpapatigil nito sa akin.
Halatang nabalisa ito sa narinig na lalo ko lamang ikinatuwa. I swear, I saw him flinch, but when he noticed that I was just teasing him, he frowned instead.
"Ano ba? Tatapusin mo ba ang misyon mo sa lugar na ito o hindi? Kailangan pa nating bumalik sa Arcacia." pag-c-change topic ni Drago.
"That's none of your business, pero tandaan mong seryoso ako tungkol sa mga nakalalasong pana, patalim at trapdoors." baling ko sa kaniya.
Tumuloy na ako sa salas at nagsimulang mag-inspect ng mga kagamitan. Inihanda ko rin ang sarili ko na makakita ng mga kalansay. Inaangat ko ang isang lumang trapo at natagpuang wala na rito ang susi sa kuwarto ng aking ina.
"Of course." I could only smile nervously.
I was about to move to a bookshelf when Drago started shouting for who knows why? I quickly head to the doorway to check what was going on.
"Didn't I tell you to remain outside?" I asked in frustration.
"Virdjana, there were limbs," he exclaimed, "it tried to grab my feet, so I used my flames to thwart it away, but it returned in numbers."
"Limbs?"
Impossibleng may tao pa sa lugar na ito, dahil sinira na lahat ng daanan patungo sa bayang ito, kaya nga tinagurian itong Ghost town ng iilan.
"Ipaliwanag mo kasi." I said as I roll my eyes.
"There's no time. Get inside!" Drago insisted as she pushes me into the house, closing the door right after.