MY CURSED MATE

I Endless War I

Warning! This chapter is not edited, so expect typos, misspelled words, and grammatical errors. Thanks and enjoy reading!

KABANATA XV

Everly's POV

I had no idea how long I had been sitting on the edge of my bed after Manang Linda left my room. The silence had become suffocating, interrupted only by the faint chirping of birds outside as the golden hues of the sunset slowly painted the sky.

Nang mga oras na iyon ay wala akong ibang ninanais kundi kasagutan.

An explanation for everything that had been happening to me.

Even now, I still couldn't believe everything I'd experienced over the past few days. There were moments when I wondered if I would even survive long enough to uncover the truth.

Marahan kong ipinikit ang aking mata upang subukang alalahanin ang mga salitang sinambit ng mahiwagang lobo na iyon sa aking panaginip.

But the harder I forced myself to remember, the blurrier everything became. It was as if someone was deliberately erasing those memories from my mind.

Another thought weighed heavily on my chest. The Good Coven.

According to Manang Linda, they had disappeared on the very night Luna Camellia died. No one had seen them since, and no one even knew whether they were still alive.

The tiny spark of hope I had been desperately holding onto vanished the moment she told me that.

Napabuntong hininga na lamang ako bago tuluyang ibinaba ang tingin sa aking mga palad.

The same pale skin.

The same dark veins crawled beneath it. I still couldn't understand why this was happening to me.

If it was true... If I really was one of the Five Disciples...

Was all of this normal? Or was something terribly wrong?

Naiinis na ibinaon ko na lamang ang aking mukha sa parehong palad.

I didn't have the luxury of spending my time figuring out mysteries. Kailangan ko pang hanapin ang aking kapatid. Iyon naman talaga ang dapat na prioridad ko.

But how could I search for her when I didn't even understand what was happening to my own body? I needed to solve this first. Only then could I continue looking for her.

Pinapanalangin ko nalang rin na tutuparin ni Beta Jake ang kanyang pangako na tutulungan niya ako hanapin si ate Crizelle.

"Ija?" I quickly turned toward the doorway. Manang Linda stood there quietly, a gentle smile on her face. I hadn't even heard the door open.

Sa kabila ng gulong bumabalot sa aking isip ay pinilit kong ngumiti sa kanyang direksyon.

"You're alright?" she asked softly. "Halos maghapon ka nang nakatulala."

The concern in her voice eased the tightness in my chest. Somehow, knowing someone still cared made everything feel a little less unbearable.

"Okay lang po ako, Manang," I answered with a faint smile. "Hindi lang talaga ako makapaniwala sa lahat ng nangyayari."

She slowly walked toward me before gently patting my shoulder.

"We may not understand what's happening to you yet," she said warmly, "but we'll help you figure this out."

My eyes slowly lifted to meet hers.

"I'm sure Greyson will understand, too." She paused before smiling knowingly.