Anathema (The Academy of the Cursed)

Final Chapter: Of Monsters and Villains

I can't believe I'm finishing yet another story. Salamat po sa lahat ng sumubaybay at nagmahal sa Anathema! Thank you for your kind support and encouraging messages. Thank you for staying patient with me in the whole duration of this book, waiting for the updates and sharing your thoughts. Thank you for flipping the pages of the book with careful thought, and for finally landing in the last pages.

Anathema was a thought created through washing dishes and being overly emotional. With inspirations from Bungo Stray Dogs and Kakegurui, ako ay nahatulan na sugalera ilang beses sa librong 'to. Hahaha! Kaya ngayon, I'm handing the ending to you. It's not cut-short or a token of surprise, Anathema is really planned to end at the destruction of their school. But that doesn't mean their struggle is over :))

-epilogue-

'Blood coated my fingers as my monster decided to hold me in his arms.'

My vision is swimming.

The small piece of me that I decided to spare just to stop time for a few minutes is killing me.

No matter how my heavy eyes wanted to close, I fought through it. I struggled against the grip of a familiar person, cold hands and an even colder presence. Leviathon stood behind me, as if he was a hero in this story.

Naestatwa si Kahel sa kinatatayuan niya. His jaw clenched as he tightened his grip on his fist. Nakatuon ang masama niyang tingin sa taong nasa likod ko. If looks could kill, Leviathon would already be resting underground.

"How entertaining. Were all of you planning to escape?" tanong niya't may inilagay sa may leeg ko. The item was sharp on my skin.

Lumabas sina Destina at Daniel sa lugar na ginawa ni Ana. Leviathon chuckled at seeing them and Kuya Salem shifted in his position. The whole place was divided in two sides, cards laid out in the table.

"Wasn't this our little game, Levi?" wika ni Daniel at naglakad palapit. "We played blackjack in this wondrous academy, with about a thousand lives on hand. Unfortunately, our team won, so that means we get to escape, right?"

"With a fight."

Tumango si Daniel. "A fight did happen."

"You killed my men."

"You killed our kind. You tortured our kind. You belittled our kind-"

"You're just becoming like the monsters you were." there was a smirk in Leviathon's tone.

Daniel was about to retaliate, but he was interrupted with my own chuckling. The embers of war flew along with the calming wind, dragging the sound of chuckle along the place. The assumed knife on my neck dug to my skin, making me flinch and realize that I was cut. Leviathon's other hand crawled to my back and he tugged on my hair, making me look up. Iniwas ko ang mukha sa kaniya.

"What is so funny, flower?"

Amidst the pain and nausea, a small smirk appeared on my lips. "You. All of you are so funny. Stupid humans spouting about unfairness and us being monsters, when you're actually the real devil."

Binitawan niya ang buhok ko at inilayo ang kutsilyo. He hasn't let go of me though, hand still gripping my arm tightly. Umangat ang isang kilay niya sa sinabi ko.

"Us, devils? Hindi naman kami ang may nakakamatay na mahika. Kayo itong ginagamit ang sariling kapangyarihan para-"

"For what?" putol ko sa kaniya. "For living our own lives? For freedom? For the freaking right of being human? Is it such a sin to wish for a normal life-!"