Oculus of Time

Flames

Ria's POV

"I just hope she knows where to go." bulong ko sa sarili. "We don't have much time left."

"Sino? Sinong tinutukoy mo?" tanong Chase na nakasunod sa'kin.

Binilisan ko ang paglakad. "I hope she remembers. She should."

I heard Chase snicker. "Buti nalang talaga di ako yung nabaliw."

We stopped in front of one of the hospital rooms. Napatitig lang ako sa nakasaradong pinto, nag-iisip kung anong makikita ko pagbukas ko nito.

"No one should've lived after that day." I whispered. "We were all supposed to disappear in that fire..."

Ever since I came out of Mnemosyne's temple, all my dreams were made out of memories but the last one was different.

I saw myself trapped behind the flames, along with Chase, and the others. We may be demigods, but we were children then, and we couldn't have survived being stuck in a building consumed by Hephaestus' fire.

Nakita ko yung sarili ko na umiiyak sa sakit at unti-unting nangingitim ang balat dahil sa apoy na nakadikit sa buong katawan ko.

It wasn't a memory, but it felt like it was.

At kung isa sa mga ala-ala ko ang namatay ako...

Then why the hell am I still alive.

Heck. I even tried to kill myself and for some motherfucking reason, I'm still here.

Like what am I even alive for?

Chase told me that Achlys appeared and the goddess told him not to worry too much about me because death doesn't exist in this place.

Basically, I killed myself in a place where I can't die.

Napabuntong-hininga ako.

I still can't believe I did that.

It's the first time I lost a battle, and who knew that the only enemy that could defeat me is... me.

Hinawakan ko ang pihitan ng pinto at akmang bubuksan ito nang may naisip ako.

Wait.

Kung ala-ala ko nga ang napanaginipan ko kung saan namatay kaming lahat sa lugar na ito...

"No shit." Napasinghap ako. "We died in a place where death doesn't exist."

"Oh? Ba't dinamay mo pa ako?" ani Chase. "Ikaw lang ang nagpakamatay sa lugar kung saan walang kamatayan, Ria."

Humarap ako sa kanya. "Diba sabi ko sa'yo yung huling napanaginipan ko? Chase, what if it did happen?"

"Mga ala-ala ko lang ang napapaginipan ko." paalala ko sa kanya. "I'm not an oracle, Chase. What I saw wasn't a vision. It was a memory."

He raised his brows as a response.

"We may have died but we also didn't?" dagdag ko. "Namatay nga tayo, pero sa lugar naman kung saan walang kamatayan- it's like..." Napailing-iling ako. "The universe wants us dead but it also wants to keep us alive."

Yumuko ako para tanungin ang aking sarili, "What the fuck is happening?"

Ilang sandali pa'y lumabas ang makapal na usok mula sa loob ng kwarto.

Chase took a step back while I, took a step closer and grabbed the knob. The moment I touched the metal, my skin hissed with the heat.

I didn't mind the pain. Idiniin ko pa nga ang pagkakahawak ko rito para mapihit ito.