Excelium III: End Point

Kabanata 21

"Zai, let's talk for a minute." Tiningnan ni Zai ang mukha ni Asta bago niya sinenyasan ang dalawa pa nilang kasama na mauna na. Ero stared at them for a while before he nodded and walked away with Bonzo.

Nang makalayo na ang dalawa ay tsaka lamang nagsalita si Asta. "About what you did, thank you. You told him that nullifying the spell requires my soul, but it doesn't. Nor the part where he has to kill me first in order to release himself. It was all a lie I made up, thank you for covering for me." Zai remained silent so Asta continued speaking. "The truth about the spell, paano mo nalaman?"

Zai didn't answer, instead, she proceeded to walk. Hinayaan na lamang ito ni Asta at sinabayan sa paglalakad. After a momentary silence between them, Zai asked. "Why?" Asta looked at the side of her face while Zai consistently look forward, waiting for an answer.

Asta looked down on the bricked road leading out of the palace's lot. "He looked really miserable at that time you know? He got his revenge, he must've thought there was no other purpose for him." Her eyes squinched. "Pero ginawa siyang responsable ng hari sa pagpapanatili sayo, he was confused with his own will. He thinks na hindi na niya problema 'yon pero he still does it, parang ginagawa na lang niyang excuse."

Asta's smile was looking glum. "His alcohol intake keeps increasing day by day and we fought every time, I can't just leave him like that. So I approached a witch and asked a favor, that's how we got into this situation." Matamlay itong tumawa. "I shouldn't have done it. I made it worse."

"Then do you want him to forget about the past?"

Nang marinig ang sinabi nito ay tumigil sa paglalakad si Asta at pinagmasdan ang likod ni Zai. Her tone wasn't even close to joking neither asking of 'what if'. Asta's face was filled with confusion. "Ano?"

Zai turned to face her, Zai's expression showed no sign of insincerity. "Similar to amnesia, do you want that?" Zai took a step closer to Asta. "He'll forget about his life from the other world, he won't remember what he was before he came here and what he has done, he won't even recognize a single feature of his daughter... neither his wife's. Convinced that you are the one beside him since day one. Do you want that, Asta?"

"Why are you asking me this--"

"I can do that." The taller woman paused with Zai's words. "It's the least I can do in exchange for what you've done for me. You just need to give me an answer."

The leaves rustled as the wind went past them. The red rays of the setting sun glistened in Asta's eyes as she stare at Zai's cold and firm ones. Hindi inalis ni Zai ang paningin niya mula kay Asta, she watched every single change and emotion that her eyes convey. There was a hint of desire, longing, and loneliness yet it'll then be smeared by hesitation and fear. Zai wonders how much a person's emotions could change in a second.

Pagkalipas ng ilang sandali ay ngumiti si Asta. "Next time, please don't offer me something like that." Zai stared at Asta's squinching eyes. "It's tempting."

Tinitigang maigi ni Zai ang mukha ng babae before she clicked her tongue and walked away. "You're such an idiot. Idiotic fools." 

"We are all fools for something. You as well."

"Don't be ridiculous." Zai hissed. Asta chuckled and followed. 

--

"Just hand me a walking stick or something!"

Rui sighed before he opened the door of the infirmary. Nadatnan nitong pilit na tumatayo si Claysen mula sa kama kahit na pinipigilan naman ito ng isang nurse at ng bise kapitan nito. Clay's exhaustion was visible in his eyes as he glances at Rui. Nang makita niya ang binata ay naglabas lamang ito ng "tsk" na  tunog at umiwas ng tingin.