CHAPTER 63 #3
"May sumunod namang ipinakita sa akin. Nakita kong isa sa inyo ang mamamatay. So we decided to sever your mate bond, hoping that at least one of you would survive... masyado ring matapang ang alak na iyon na kayang burahin ang ala-ala ng kung sino mang makakainom nito...
but what I saw was just a possibility, it never really happened..." pagpapatuloy ni Drakkon.
Ang ibang mga Erenhal ay tahimik lamang na nakikinig. Walang sinuman ang nagsalita. Tanging ang katahimikan ng buong hall ang bumalot sa kanila habang nakatingin sila kay Rassia.
Ang iba ay napapikit na lamang, tila inaasahan na naman ang galit ni Rassia. Inakala nilang sisigawan sila nito at sisisihin dahil sa ginawa nilang pagtatangkang burahin ang kanyang alaala tungkol kay Vincenzo.
Ngunit nagulat sila sa kanyang sumunod na sinabi.
"Its really much better if that happened."
Bahagyang yumuko si Rassia, tahimik na pinoproseso ang lahat ng sinabi ni Drakkon.
"At nasisigurado akong ako ang mamatay... kung ang tanging paraan para mabuhay si Vincenzo ay ang putulin ang bond namin... then maybe you made the right choice.... kung may pagkakataon din ako na kailangan kong piliin kung sino ang mabubuhay... I already know what my answer will be."
Rassia remembered everything Vincenzo had confessed to her. He had turned back time just to be with her again. He had protected her, loved her genuinely, and changed so many things in her life without her even realizing it.
He was also the reason she was able to communicate with Lucy Pearl in this timeline, something that had never happened in their first timeline.
"Vincenzo has already sacrificed enough. Hindi ko hahayaang ang buhay niya ang muling maging kapalit para sa akin."
Nanginig si Rassia nang biglang may isang alaala na muling sumagi sa kanyang isipan. Unti-unting namuo ang luha sa kanyang mga mata.
"Kapag namatay ako, Rassia... magiging abo na lamang ako... ang aking kaluluwa ay hindi mapupunta sa Gadesea... dahil maging ang aking kaluluwa ay magiging abo na rin, dahilan upang hindi na ako muling mabubuhay pa..."
"T-that means this is... your last life, Vincenzo?!"
"Yes, Rassia. This is my last lifetime," mahinahon niyang pag-amin, habang dahan-dahang pinupunasan ang luha sa aking mga pisngi.
"So let me live my last life with you, Rassia. Be happy with me in this life. I don't care if I turn into dust after this, as long as I leave you in a world where you can finally breathe, survive, and live peacefully. Ganoon kita kamahal."
Napapikit si Rassia habang patuloy na tumutulo ang kanyang mga luha. Mahigpit pa rin siyang yakap ni Morticia.
Mabuti na lamang at ramdam kong buhay si Vincenzo... dahil hindi ko kayang isipin na wala na siya.
Hindi ko kayang isipin na ang lahat ng ginawa niya, ang lahat ng isinakripisyo niya, at ang pagbabalik niya sa nakaraan ay mauuwi lamang sa wala.
He turned back time just to be with me again. He protected me. He loved me. He changed the course of our lives... and all I want is for his sacrifice to have meant something...
Napahigpit ang pagkakahawak ni Rassia sa kanyang damit.
Ayokong isipin na baka matapos ang lahat ng ito nang hindi man lang kami nagkaroon ng pagkakataong maging masaya. Kung ang tanging dahilan kung bakit niya binalikan ang nakaraan ay para magkaroon kami ng panibagong pagkakataon... then I refuse to let that chance disappear.
Unti-unting nagbago ang lungkot sa kanyang mga mata at napalitan ng galit.
Fuck that Holy Cathedral. Especially Lurtheron and his bitch of a mother.
And Galsarius Constanciandro III Quentin.
The moment he killed my father, I no longer saw him as my grandfather.
Magbabayad silang lahat sa pagkamatay ng aking ina at ng aking ama.
Hindi ko makakalimutan ang lahat ng ginawa nila samin ni Vincenzo at hindi ko hahayaang basta na lamang mawala ang lahat ng sakit at pagkawala na dinanas namin.
And when that day comes, I will not show them any mercy...
Cassandra let out a sigh.
"Brat, calm yourself... I hate to say this, b-but it's okay to cry," she said, glancing away. "But you still can't control your Eternal Flame mana, and your emotions are becoming unstable. Don't let it consume you..."
Dahan-dahang lumapit si Vladimir kay Rassia at yumuko sa kanyang harapan. Bahagya niyang tinapik ang kanyang likod, trying to calm her down.
"I agree with Cassandra. Fire is the symbol of rage and destruction," mahinahon niyang saad. "And the stronger your emotions become, the more your Eternal Flame responds to them. Kung hahayaan mong galit at sakit ang manaig sa iyo, baka ikaw mismo ang mawalan ng kontrol sa kapangyarihang taglay mo."
"You are the Orythea, Rassia. You have the power to change the fate of this world. But before you can control the world around you, you must first learn to control what burns within you." ani Devi.
The Erenhals continued trying to calm Rassia down, offering her advice as they watched her struggle to control the Eternal Flame mana surrounding her.
However, Drakkon remained unusually silent.
Tila lumilipad ang kanyang isip, malalim ang iniisip habang pinagmamasdan lamang si Rassia.
"I want revenge. I do not want to be the Orythea or the savior. My main purpose is revenge, and for that, I need to control this power of mine and make a fucking plan immediately," malamig na saad ni Rassia.
Dahan-dahan siyang tumayo at taas-noo silang lahat na tiningnan.
"I will take the Erenhal Sartorias Empire. Vincenzo and I made that promise. And if it takes too long for him to return, I will take it myself for him."
Tumalim ang kanyang tingin.
"I don't want those usurpers and the Holy Cathedral ruling over the empire. That bitch, Megan, was already a terrible empress when she still held the throne. I won't let her influence continue to destroy the empire."
Huminga nang malalim si Rassia.
"I don't want the people of Erenhal Sartorias to continue suffering because of them."
Samantala, nanatiling nakatitig si Drakkon kay Rassia. May kung anong malalim na pag-iisip sa kanyang mga mata.
I knew it... she will make a fine empress...
"We are willing to help you, Little Red," Drakkon finally spoke. "We can help you control your Eternal Flame, and give you whatever knowledge and resources you need to reclaim what was taken from you. But may I ask... how did you survive?"
"I was saved by a mermaid. Hawak niya ang isa sa perlas ng karagatan, ang perlas ng reyalid. Nakausap ako ng kaluluwa ng buwan dahil daw sa perlas na iyon, ngunit hindi ko batid kung bakit. Ngunit nagpapasalamat ako sa sirenang iyon...
dahil hindi ko tuluyang nakalimutan ang mga alaala ko kay Vincenzo..."
"The Pearls of the Sea..." ani Thaddeus.