Paper Crown

Chapter 42:

"One life... One life in exchange of thousands of lives that will be saved from danger... Pero tama bang buhay ko ang isakripisyo ko para sa kanila?"
-Avery

Chapter 42:

"She died." I unbelievably muttered. In a snap ay muli akong nakabalik sa harapan ng Oracle na mataman na nakatingin sakin. I sighed remembering the scenes so vividly. "What happened to me? Pagkatapos mamatay ni Ashley, anong nangyari sakin?" I asked in a solemn voice. Elisha or me, promise to serve Ashley in her next life and I'm actually doing it now.

"She live a peaceful life from the sacrifice of her only friend. She built a house inside of a forest and grew crops as her source of living. She lived alone and died of old age bringing her the willingness to pay back her debt to Ashley... her life. And that is how I found your connection with Averianna's soul, Avery. Your undying love for your only friend formed a connection between your souls. Both of you were the first ones who made a soul pact. A promise of a soul." and after she said those words, she gave me a gentle smile. Parang bigla akong natauhan sa narinig. What she said was right and what she did was the right thing to do. Kung hindi niya siguro kinuha ang kaluluwa ni Averianna ay maaaring mangyari yung nakita niya. And I was the best replacement because I was connected to her.

"You did well." I muttered. I wanted to commend her for doing a job well done. She saw something terrifying and she did everything she could to prevent it. Muli itong ngumiti sakin.

"Thank you. Do you want to know more?" saglit akong napa-isip sa tanong niya. I still have a lot of questions inside of my mind but it feels like it will explode any time now if I receive another batch of informations.

"I still have a lot to know, am I right? But I still need time to process it out." tumango ito bilang tugon sakin. When she whispered some words again like before ay unti-unting bumalik sa dati ang lahat. Nawala ang lamesa na may mga carvings saka isa-isang bumukas ang mga bintana. It was like before, a normal living room with a rocking chair with the Oracle sitting on it on the side. Hindi kalaunan ay biglang pumasok sa living room si Charlotte. Parehong nalilito at naguguluhan ang mukha nito. Iba na rin ang suot niyang damit kaysa kanina.

"Lady Solace, I'm sorry it took me long before I came back. I got lost finding my way back here." yumuko muna ito sa harapan ng Oracle bago umupo sa tabi ko.

"Aren't you going to change, Your Highness?" napatingin ako sa damit ko ng marinig ang naging tanong ng Oracle. Hindi ko na napansin na hindi ako nakapagbihis dahil sa kagustuhan kong malaman kung anong nangyari kay Averianna. I noticed the slight fear in Charlotte's eyes. She's probably scared being left out here alone with the Oracle. Sa paraan ng pagku-kuwento niya sakin noon ay parang isang halimaw ang Oracle na kayang-kaya siyang lunukin kahit anong oras.

Tinapik ko ang braso niya ng ilang beses para palakasin kahit papano ang loob niya. Saglit lang akong tumingin sa kanilang dalawa bago dumiretso sa pintuang nilabasan kanina ni Charlotte. I keep on thinking and thinking those things that I just discovered. I keep on convincing myself that what the Oracle did was right. Na tama lang na kinuha niya ang karapatan kong makapagsimula ulit. Na magkaroon ng bagong buhay. But no matter how I think about it, I started to have this selfish idea na sana pinabayaan niya na lang ako, pero kung iyon naman ang ginawa niya.. hindi ba't parang ang sama ko naman ata? It was only a life. One life as a sacrifice for thousands who will be saved from Averianna's revenge.